


Young Multiverser

by ShepardisaBOSS



Category: Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Death, F/M, Harems, Multi, Multiverser Awesomeness, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-24
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-02-18 16:07:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 104,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2354492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShepardisaBOSS/pseuds/ShepardisaBOSS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My name is Michael, and I was once human. Now, I am a Multiverser, a being who is all-powerful. What better way to start my new life than in one of my favorite super hero shows? Look out world, here I come to tear you a new one! Rated M for language, violence and later content. Pairings: Harem (OC/Starfire/Raven/Donna Troy/Miss Martian/Artemis/Supergirl/Aquagirl)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Today's The Day, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, as you may have noticed if you read the story before, some stuff got rearranged, especially with the first few chapters gone. That is because I'm planning on having the chapters that detail Michael's first week in the world of Young Justice to serve as a flashback chapter, in which Michael relates the tale of his first week to his team. And honestly, looking back, I think that is a much better way for my story to go.
> 
> Anyway, this chapter takes place on July 4, 2010, the day Robin, Aqualad, and Kid Flash infiltrate Cadmus and rescue Superboy, thus becoming "The Team." Things will be going the same, except for some differences. First off, Michael Verser- obviously- will be joining as well. Secondly, there will be some others in Cadmus who will join as well. Inspiration for that comes from BioshockerN7 (with his permission, I would like to add). He'll be making a cameo appearance somewhere in the second chapter, as well.
> 
> Now, with that out of the way, here's the disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice, or any characters from DC Comics, in any way, shape, or form. If I did own it, however, there would have been a third season and a proper ending by this point!
> 
> Now then, let us begin...

_**Voice Cast** _ _**(including how I envision certain characters being voiced)** _ _**:** _

_**Michael Verser = Nolan North (A/N: Think the voice of Nathan Drake from the "Uncharted" series)** _

_**Duncan Verser = Josh Keaton (A/N: Think the voice of Peter Parker/Spider-Man from "The Spectacular Spider-Man")** _

**_Kaldur'ahm/Aqualad - Khary Payton_ **

**_Richard "Dick" Grayson/Robin - Jesse McCartney_ **

**_Wally West/Kid Flash - Jason Spisaks_ **

_**Akima/Lambda = Lindsay Jones (A/N: Think her actual voice)** _

* * *

**BGMs:**

**In Too Deep - Sum 41**

**Raise Hell - Dorothy**

**Mission Impossible Theme**

* * *

**Unknown Location, Unknown Time**

* * *

**(Play "In Too Deep - Sum 41")**

I woke up as sunlight filtered through my window. I found myself in a beautifully designed room, resting in a large, comfortable bed. Turning around, I smiled as I nuzzled into the neck of the woman sleeping next to me. The scent of warm ginger with a tinge of peppermint filled my nostrils as I inhale, giving me a warm, tingling sensation.

A soft moan was elicited from my sleeping companion. Turning to face me, she smiled softly. "Morning, Michael," she said quietly.

I kissed her softly on the lips. "Morning, Tula," I replied.

Tula giggled a bit, before sitting up to stretch her arms. The sheets covering her fell to her lap as she stuck out her chest, giving me a perfect view of her perfect, sun kissed C-cup breasts. Noticing my staring (as well as my...other reaction), she gave me that knowing look again. "Like what you see?" she asked in a sultry tone.

I snaked my arm around her waist, bringing her in for a deep kiss. "Every time," I replied, gliding my hands over her perfect body.

Moaning into the kiss, she asked "Do you **have** to go out today?"

I turned my attention to my digital clock, which displayed today's date next to the time:

_07/04/2010_

I sighed, knowing my answer before I gave it. "Afraid so," I answered reluctantly. **"Today's** the day, after all."

* * *

**Gotham City, 12:00 EDT**

* * *

It was a peaceful day in Gotham City Park, with families celebrating Independence Day all around. It would've been a good day. Except for the fact that Mister Freeze decided to make this day the day he would freeze everyone there.

"Enjoying family time?" Freeze asked one family as he was about to freeze them solid.

Just as he was about to, however, I fired a shot from a distance, making him miss completely. Turning around, he found me suited up, _Avalon's_ barrel smoking from the shot. "I know summer can get hot at times, Freeze," I began, "but you really don't have to go **this** far to help people cool down."

The cold-blooded villain (yeah, I know, bad joke) narrowed his eyes. "Atlas. Here without Oberon to help you?"

"He's busy. Doesn't mean I'm alone, though."

Before he could pull the trigger on me, a batarang hit him from behind and made him stumble. "Batman. I was wondering when-" However, there was no one there. There was, however, a laughter that seemed to come from everywhere around us.

Suddenly, a small frame came down from the sky and landed on Freeze's domed helmet. The person responsible- a young, black haired teenager wearing black leggings, boots and gloves, accompanied by a red vest with a yellow "R" in a black circle. A domino mask protected his identity, while a short cape and a utility belt completed his attire- then flipped forward and threw two batarangs at the helmet, which caused it to crack a bit. "Oh. The Boy Wonder," Freeze said as he got up. "The heroes sent you and Atlas to drag me off to prison? Frankly, I'm underwhelmed."

Dick Grayson, a.k.a. Robin, then quickly said "That's great, but I'm kind of in a hurry here."

Freeze huffed. "Kids. Always in such a rush."

"Yeah, he wasn't talking to you," I replied.

This caused Freeze to look up, just in time to see Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman, descend upon him. The resulting punch shattered his helmet completely.

As they cuffed Freeze, I sent out some fire balls to quickly thaw out those who were frozen. "Nice working with you guys," I called out. "We'll catch up with you later!" I then opened a portal leading back to my apartment, remembering I needed to take care of something. Looking back at Batman and Robin, I was left wondering what Duncan was doing right now. Knowing him, he was dealing with one of the ice themed villains that decided to come out to play today.

* * *

**Star City, 09:01 PDT**

* * *

Speaking of those idiots, Icicle Jr. was bust turning the Star City suspension bridge into an icy wasteland. Shooting up ice ramps, cars were sent flying through the air, crashing left and right all around.

As the young villain laughed at the chaos he was causing, an arrow lodged itself into his left shoulder before exploding. A few nearby arrows then followed suit, causing him to stumble in confusion before a concussive round knocked him flat on his ice cold ass. Turning his attention upwards, he glared at the ones responsible.

One was an older man, wearing a green and emerald outfit with a domino mask, which did nothing to hide his blonde moustache and beard. A quiver slung over his shoulder, he also had his bow drawn with a trick arrow at the ready.

Next to him was a younger man with red hair, dressed in a red version of his partner's outfit, complete with domino mask and a pair of yellow gloves and yellow Robin Hood hat. He possessed the exact same arsenal as the older man, even having his bow drawn.

Beside the younger man was an individual wearing a black and red hoodie, with ninja leggings and black pants. In his hands was an anti-materiel rifle, which appeared to be a sheath with a sword in it.

The archery duo Oliver Queen- a.k.a. Green Arrow- and his protégé Roy Harper- a.k.a. Speedy- who were joined by Duncan himself, with the barrel of _Samantha_ smoking from the shot.

"I was wondering what a guy had to do to get a little attention around here," Icicle Jr. said as he got up. "But to get the attention of Oberon himself? Today's my lucky day!" With that said, he started shooting icicles at the three. Duncan was shooting them out of the sky with _Machina_ , while the archers fired off explosive arrows.

"Junior's doing this for **attention?"** Speedy exclaimed in disbelief, just as the arrows went **KABOOM.**

"Someone didn't get enough attention as a child," Duncan quipped. "Nice explosion, by the way."

"I figured I could try the chemical compound you suggested," Green Arrow said.

Making their way down the bridge, Speedy said "I'm telling you now, this little **distraction** better not interfere." Duncan couldn't help but grind his teeth as he said that. Even though we knew that this was a clone, his obsession with joining the League filled him with the urge to kick him in the face.

**Hard.**

As Speedy performed an epic flip over a few icicles, he drew an arrow from his quiver and hit Jr. right in the face. The impact knocked him out cold, causing his jaw to slide right off. Chuckling, Arrow commented "Kid had a glass jaw."

"Hilarious," Speedy said with slight urgency. "Can we go? **Today's** the day."

Duncan sighed, fighting down a headache as he did. "I bet Michael doesn't have to put up with this." With that, he disappeared, on his way to check in on how I was doing. But not before he made a detour to see how our old friends were doing.

* * *

**Pearl Harbor, 06:02 HST**

* * *

A battleship lay frozen in the water- even though it was the middle of summer- as the sounds of energy blasts filled the frozen air. The source of the blasts came from none other than the super villainess Killer Frost, who was firing cryobeam after cryobeam at two heroes, also an older and younger man.

The first was a man wearing orange chain mail armor and black pants, which possessed green fin attachments at the heels. He also had blonde hair and a full beard, which gave him a regal appearance. Fitting, since he was King Orin- a.k.a. Aquaman- of Atlantis.

The other individual was a young, dark skinned man, wearing a red and navy blue suit with a design similar to Aquaman's. Said individual had shortly cut blonde hair, and prominent gills on his neck. Kaldur'ahm, also known as Aqualad, the protégé of Aquaman.

The two Atlantean heroes kept on dodging each shot, until Oric was frozen up to his neck. Kaldur leaped over his king, making his way to Killer Frost. Orin soon joined him, breaking out of his prison as he said "Don't tell me you're not excited?"

"Right now, my king, I am more focused on the matter at hand," Kaldur replied as they got closer and closer to their target. Killer frost fired a beam at Kaldur's hands, which were holding his Water-Bearers as they became encased in a large ball of ice.

This became her undoing, however, as Kaldur swung the ice up. It impacted with her jaw, knocking her out cold as the ice shattered. Coming up to the defeated villainess, Orin asked "Well?"

Kaldur relaxed a bit, saying "Yes, I am excited. **Today's** the day."

"Well then," Duncan said as he appeared behind them, Killer Frost in cuffs at his feet. "Either of you two want a ride?"

* * *

**Central City, 11:03 CDT**

* * *

Outside of a jewelry store whose front was frozen over, two blurs- a scarlet one and a yellow one- were running clockwise and counter-clockwise around Captain Cold, who was firing blast after blast at them.

"Stealing ice?" The Flash- a.k.a. Barry Allen, dressed in his signature red uniform- asked, referring to the suitcase of diamonds Cold stole. "Seriously? Isn't that a bit cliché, even for Captain Cold?" The Captain didn't seem to appreciate the joke, as he fired another shot at the older speedster.

"Come **oooonnn!"** the younger man- a teenager wearing a yellow and red costume, with fiery red hair and a pair of goggles- whined out. Fastening his goggles, the individual known as Wally West- a.k.a. Kid Flash- said "We don't have **time** for this!" He rushed forward, only getting a slight frost on his shoulder as he snatched the freeze ray from Cold's grasp. Before he could react, Flash punched him in the face, knocking him out cold.

"Calm down, kid," Flash said as he admired the handiwork.

"Oh, **please!"** Wally exclaimed. "You'll chat it up with the cops, with bystanders, with Cold even! No, no way! **Today's** the day!"

* * *

**Washington D.C., 14:00 EDT**

* * *

The Hall of Justice. The first headquarters of the Justice League. A symbol of heroes. Also a popular tourist attraction and front for the real headquarters, the Watchtower.

In front of it, from across the pond, stood Batman, Robin, Green Arrow, Speedy, Orin, Kaldur, Duncan and I. **"Today's** the day," Batman said with a 'smile'.

"Welcome to the Hall of Justice," Green Arrow said to everyone.

"Headquarters of the Justice League," continued Orin.

As soon as he said that, the two speedsters came up from behind us. "Oh man!" Wally exclaimed. "I knew we'd be the last ones here!"

"Hey, KF!" I called out. "You owe me $20!"

Remembering the bet between us as to which of us would arrive first, Wally cried out in frustration **"Oh come on!"**

 **(End "** **In Too Deep - Sum 41** **")**

* * *

**(Play "Raise Hell - Dorothy")**

**Gotta raise a little hell**

The camera fades in, showing the sun rising above the planet Earth as its rays chase away the darkness.

Soon, the title fades into view.

**YOUNG MULTIVERSER**

The scene changes to show a group of silhouettes, who then scatter into different directions as an unseen enemy opens fire on them.

**Young blood, run like a river**

**Young blood, never get chained**

The camera shows a young man with dark skin, wearing a red and navy blue suit as he holds two curved handles that forms blades of water as he charges at the unseen enemy.

_**AQUALAD** _

**Young blood, heaven need a sinner**

**You can't raise hell with a saint**

Replacing him is a fair skinned young man, wearing a black t-shirt with the Superman logo emblazoned on the chest, tossing a tank at a large robot.

_**SUPERBOY** _

**Young blood, came to start a riot**

**Don't care what your old man say**

The image is replaced by one of a boy wearing a domino mask with a cape and red and black clothing, explosive projectiles in hand as he smirks.

_**ROBIN** _

**Young blood, heaven hate a sinner**

**But we're gonna raise hell anyway**

**Raise Hell**

A blur of yellow passes by, stopping to reveal a young man with fiery red hair wearing a yellow and red bodysuit as he beats a group of thieves with super speed.

_**KID FLASH** _

**Yeah**

**Raise Hell**

A green skinned girl then appeared, her eyes glowing green as she telepathically lifts a section of the ground to block a barrage of enemy fire.

_**MISS MARTIAN** _

**Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell**

The scene changes to a girl with long blonde hair and a green costume, pulling back a bow with three arrows, all fired at an unseen enemy.

_**ARTEMIS** _

**Baby, drop them bombs**

A girl with black hair and a red sleeveless jump suit soared through the air, spinning a golden lasso around as she flew onto the scene.

_**WONDER GIRL** _

**Baby, sell that soul**

Above the sea, a girl with orange skin and long red hair soars through the sky, her green eyes glowing as pink bolts of energy form in her hands.

_**STARFIRE** _

**Heaven fare thee well**

A pale skinned girl wearing a navy blue dress and cloak follows suit, wielding dark energy as she faces her opponent.

_**RAVEN** _

**Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell**

A man with dark skin, covered mostly in machinery, changes his arm into a cannon as he smirks at a group of enemies.

_**CYBORG** _

A young man wearing white and blue stands on top of a building, before pulling a hood over his head and leaping off.

**Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell**

He joins the rest of his team below, fighting a large group of enemies with little to no ease.

The unnamed young man leaps into the air, punching his foe and causing the screen to white out.

**Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell**

Fading back into focus, the group of enemies is shown defeated, with the group of young heroes standing victorious as they look towards the screen.

**(End "Raise Hell - Dorothy")**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Today's the Day (Part 1)**

* * *

After I received the $20, we were given a tour of the Hall of Justice. The five of us were pretty excited, though I was for a different reason. After today, I'd be a part of a team. Duncan said he wouldn't be joining the Team, though he'd be one of our supervisors. Still, the thought of not working with Duncan in the field anymore made me a bit nervous (though mostly glad, as it was a sign that I'd grown as a Multiverser).

Oh, you're probably confused at this point, right? Well, allow me to rectify that. My name is Michael Verser, and I'm what's known as a Multiverser. What is a Multiverser, you ask? In the simplest of terms, individuals taken from non-scripted realities by the Multiverse (usually as they're about to die), who are able to travel to scripted realities, the worlds we thought only existed in fiction. Multiversers also possess the innate powers of Omnipotence, Omnipresence, and Omniscience.

Translation: reality is our little bitch to do with as we please.

Now, let me continue by bringing your attention to the individual known as 'Oberon' over there. His real name is Duncan Verser, my adoptive older brother and the man who turned me into a Multiverser in the first place. The oldest and most powerful of us, he is also known as the 'King of the Multiverse', and for good reason. The man trained me himself, after the events that led to my ascendancy to demigod-hood.

I wanted to learn how to control my powers once I acquired them, and he wanted to stick around with me. So, one of the first worlds I decided to go to was the world of _Young Justice_ , perhaps one of my most adored superhero series. We arrived a few years early by accident, but made the most of it by making names for ourselves.

Duncan became the superhero known as **Oberon** , taking his alias after the King of the Faeries (do not let the name fool you, his is not to be taken lightly). I became **Atlas** , his protégé/partner in crime-fighting. And man, did we have a hell of a time as we awaited today to happen.

 **"Don't** call us sidekicks," Speedy growled out, bringing me out of my thoughts. "Not after today."

"Sorry," Wally apologized. "First time at the Hall. I'm a little overwhelmed."

"You're **over** whelmed, Freeze was **under** whelmed," Robin complained. "Why isn't anyone just **whelmed?"**

"I don't think whelmed is a word, Robin," I pointed out. "I could get it put into the dictionary if you want, though."

Chuckling, Robin replied "Knowing you and Oberon, I believe it. Seriously, though, why isn't-" He trailed off as we entered the Hall, coming face to face with larger than life statues of the founding members of the Justice League. "Oh. Maybe **that's** why."

Two large metal doors slid open, revealing Martian Manhunter and Red Tornado. The former stepped forward, saying "Speedy, Aqualad, Robin, Kid Flash, Atlas. Welcome." Walking forward, he continued "You now have unlimited access to the gym, our fully stocked galley, and of course, our library," he finished as we entered said library.

"Make yourselves at home," Flash said.

Everyone took their seats except for me and Speedy. I shared a look with him, letting him know that I knew what he knew, but silently warning him not to act on it. That only seemed to make him angrier. "Quick debrief to discuss the coincidence of **four** ice villains attacking on the same day," Batman said. "We shouldn't be long."

Finally, Speedy couldn't take it anymore. "That's it?!" he cried out. "You promised us a real look inside, not a glorified backstage pass!"

"It's a first step," Orin replied. "You've been given access few others get."

That only set him off even more, as he went into a rant about how they were being treated like kids, and how today was meant to be the first step to become full-fledged members of the Justice League. In his rant, he revealed to the others the existence of the Watchtower. That caused Batman and Flash to glare at Green Arrow. "I know, I know," he relented, "but I thought maybe we could make an exception?" Batman's glare intensified. "Or not."

"You did the right thing, Arrow," Duncan said. "Telling Speedy showed the amount of trust you placed in him. It's why I told Atlas about it upon joining the League." Glares went his way now. "Yeah, you have no effect on me, Bats. Keep trying, though."

Made sense it didn't. After all the shit he's seen, there was barely anything that really affected him. Plus, I think he said he was Batman in one of the worlds he went to.

"Is this true?" Kaldur asked. I nodded, earning shocked expressions mixed with slight hurt and betrayal.

"You are not helping your cause here, son," Orin said. "Stand down, or-"

"Or **what?"** Speedy challenged. "You'll send me to my room? And I'm not your son. I'm not even his!" he exclaimed, looking at Green Arrow. "I thought I was his partner. But not anymore." He threw his hat to the ground, shocking my friends and hurting Arrow. I simply glared at Speedy, angry at him acting like a child throwing a tantrum.

* * *

After the League left to stop Wotan from blotting out the sun, the four of us were left behind in the Hall library. Speedy may have been a bit of a dick during his rant, but he was right about one thing: the League was treating us like children. Kaldur was depressed that Orin didn't trust him enough to tell him the truth, Wally was venting his anger through words, and Robin looked slightly downcast. Even I was silently fuming, angry at how their own mentors didn't even trust them with, as Wally said, the basics.

Then a light bulb went off in my head, remembering what to do next. "I think I might have a way to start getting the League's trust," I said, gaining everyone's attention. "Robin, can you hack the computer?"

"Uh, I can try. Why?"

"Find out what you can about Project Cadmus." Seeing as the League elected to ignore that for stopping Wotan, this would be a good start for us.

With a sinister grin, Robin got to work. Soon, he was hacking into the system like a pro. "Whoa. How're you doing that?" Wally asked in awe.

"Same system as the Batcave," replied the Boy Wonder with a smug tone. "Alright, Project Cadmus, a genetics lab here in D.C. That's all there is. But if Batman's suspicious..."

"Then maybe we should investigate for ourselves," I finished, sharing Robin's smile.

"Solve the case before they do," Kaldur said. "It would be poetic justice."

"And these guys are all about justice," I quipped.

Sighing, Kaldur said "But they said to stay put-"

"For the blotting out the sun mission, Kal," I interrupted. "This, however, is something else entirely."

"Are you two going to Cadmus?" Wally asked excitedly. "Because, because if you two are going, then I'm going."

The two of us bumped fists. "That's three. Kal?"

"Just like that?" he asked. "We're a team on a mission?"

"We didn't come for a play date," Robin pointed out.

Determination in his eyes, Kaldur smiled and nodded. "Alright!" I cried out. "This, my friends, is the beginning of a beautiful, wonderful team!"

* * *

We arrived at Cadmus soon afterwards, a fire consuming the second floor. Wally managed to rescue a couple of scientists from hitting the pavement, while the rest of us quickly put out the fire and entered the building. "Seriously, **why** is my name so hard to remember?!" Wally exclaimed. "It's not Speedy, it's not Flash Boy, it is **Kid! Flash!"**

"Let it go, KF," I said patting him on the back. "People might think you're- oh, wait, you already **are** a spaz."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," he waved off. Noticing Kaldur staring at the elevator, I rushed ahead and saw it closing. As well as a horned figure standing inside.

"...Oh, I did **not** just see a demonic Fu Manchu," I muttered.

"Elevators ought to be locked down right now," Kaldur said suspiciously.

Drawing _Masamune,_ I plunged it into the doors and pried them open. On the other side was a shaft heading way, way down. "Okay, I think I just found something suspicious," I dryly remarked.

**(Play "Mission Impossible Theme")**

"And **that's** why they need an express elevator," Robin said as he looked down the shaft. Attaching his grappling hook to the ceiling, he made his way down while the rest of us followed after.

Eventually, Robin ran out of cable at Sub-Level 26. "End of the line," I said. Robin hacked into the security lock, allowing us to open the doors and enter a room that looked like it didn't belong here. Before I could stop him, Wally ran ahead to scout, just barely stopping before he got stomped into paste by gigantic G-Trolls. Catching up to him, I couldn't help but stare at the gargantuan creatures.

"Nooooo," Kaldur sarcastically said with surprise, "nothing odd going on around here."

"Whoa," I breathed out. "Anyone whelmed yet?"

I received my answer when we found our way into the room housing Genomorphs to power the entire place. "Yeah," Robin said, "I think I'm pretty whelmed right about now, thanks for asking."

Observing the odd creatures, I commented "These little guys are powering Project Cadmus. Helps keep them off the grid."

"Whoa," Wally breathed out. "Must be what they're bred for."

"Even the name is a clue," Kaldur added. "The Cadmus of myth created new life by sowing dragon's teeth into the Earth."

"And this Cadmus creates new life too," Robin said. "Let's find out why." He started hacking into a nearby terminal, pulling up some of Cadmus' files. He discovered that the Genomorphs were pretty much living weapons, leading us to believe that they're building an army.

After Robin pulled up Project Kr, I noticed some sub-files attached to it. "Wait, what are those?" I asked.

Pulling up the files, Robin read out loud "Projects Biotech, Daemon, and S-F. From what I can dig up, these three are people who were taken by Cadmus. They're planning on augmenting them with some strange tech, which will give them full control over these three."

I felt my eyes widen in shock at that revelation. _'What?! There are_ _ **more**_ _of these projects here?!'_

 _ **'That is not good,'**_ Akima muttered in my head. _**'Who knows what Cadmus has for those projects, or what they're planning for them.'**_

Clenching my fists in anger, I growled out "Not if we have anything to say about it." No one was going to turn anyone into freaking puppets while I was around. "We're getting them out of here, along with Project Kr. Where are they being held?"

"They're actually pretty close to each other," Robin observed. "If we split up, we could get them more easily."

"Don't move!" We turned around to find Jim Harper, a.k.a. Guardian, charging forward with a group of G-Elves at his side. Getting a good look at us, he stopped in confusion. "Robin? Aqualad? Kid Flash? Atlas?"

"Least he got your name right," Robin commented.

"Guardian," I called out. "Haven't seen you since... _ **Guatemala."**_

As soon as those words left my mouth, Guardian, Robin and I shuddered as we remembered that. "I thought we agreed to never speak of that again," Guardian said coldly.

"Sorry," I said in slight shame.

"What happened in Guatemala?" Wally asked Robin.

With complete seriousness, the Boy Wonder replied "I don't want to talk about it."

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I'm chief of security," he replied. "You're trespassing. But I can call the Justice League, we can figure this out."

"You think the League's gonna approve of you breeding weapons?" Wally asked.

"Weapons?" Guardian asked in surprise. "What do you...what are..." The G-Gnome soon works its magic, brainwashing him into ordering the attack on us. Glaring at us, Guardian ordered "Take 'em down hard! No mercy!"

Grabbing onto the others, I cried out **"STOP!"** As soon as I said that, everything but us four were frozen in time. The others looked at me in surprise, and were concerned when they saw I was having difficulty concentrating. "Come on," I managed to grind out, "I can't hold this for long." After we forced open the elevator, we got into it as I lost my concentration, forcing time to start up again.

With the elevator closed, we descended further into Project Cadmus. "Dude," Wally exclaimed, "what the heck did you just do back there?!"

"Chronokinesis," I breathed out. "Specifically...I can stop time...for brief moments. Pain in the...ass to...keep going, though."

Robin was just staring at me in shock. "Waitwaitwait, back up! You can control **time?!"**

"Yeah...though like I said...it is a **pain** to use...gives me the worst headache," I said between breaths. "Reason why...I don't use it often. Now then...if you don't mind, I think I'll just rest for a bit. At least until we-"

***DING***

"...Reach our stop."

Noticing our surroundings, Wally saw where we stopped. "We went further down?! Dude, **out** is **up!"**

"Projects Kr, Biotech, Daemon, and S-F are all on **this** level," Robin pointed out. "I don't know what Cadmus has planned for them, but I doubt it's anything good. Better we get them as far away as possible."

"This is getting out of hand," Kaldur exclaimed. Slightly downcast, he continued "Maybe...maybe we should contact the League."

"I've been trying to get a signal since Sub-Level 26," I lied. "We're in too deep to get help. Literally." After getting my second wind, I said "Let's split up. I'll get Projects Biotech, Daemon and S-F. You three handle Project Kr." Handing them some small devices from my pocket, I continued "If you run into trouble, hit the red switch. I'll be right there." Nodding, we went our separate ways.

**(End "Mission Impossible Theme")**

* * *

Any guards that I ran into down here were easy enough to evade. I simply turned invisible and sneaked past them. The rest simply ran off into the other direction, towards where Robin, Kaldur and Wally were heading.

Eventually, I reached the end of the road. Before me was a large doorway, which held the three mysterious projects. _'So, what are the odds that whatever's behind those doors is gonna be a game-changer, Akima?'_

 _ **'/Well, knowing your luck, I'd say those odds are pretty high,/'**_ replied Akima, a.k.a. Lambda, my personal A.I. fragment/girlfriend. I had gotten her during my time in Project Freelancer, as she had chosen me as her helping her acclimate to my mind (a scary experience for her), we became inseparable.

Although, considering that she represents Love, Lust, Desire and Eroticism, she could be a bit of an ordeal to deal with at times.

_**'/Don't see you complaining about it when we're having the time of our lives./'** _

_'Just saying, is all. Now, are the security cameras in there disabled?'_

_**'/ _Y_ ep. A word of warning, though...you're gonna be shocked by what's inside,/'**_ she said with a cautious tone. I didn't like it when she used that tone. That meant whatever's in there is either really bad, or something I never accounted for.

Bracing myself for whatever was on the other side, I turned intangible and walked through the metal door easily. When I entered the room on the other side...I felt my jaw make contact with the floor. Akima was not kidding about what was in that room.

In three pods in the middle of the room were three teenage figures I was more than familiar with: Koriand'r, a.k.a. Starfire, the princess of the planet Tamaran; Rachel Roth, or Raven, the half-demon daughter of Trigon; and Victor Stone, the half-machine superhero Cyborg.

Raven, to start with, was extremely beautiful. The shortest of the three before me (though only about an inch shorter than me), she wore a navy blue dress, which- while not form fitting- really brought out her curves, yet left her long, elegant legs open for all to see. Said legs (which I...spent a bit of time staring at, subsequently bringing my mind to a rather...inappropriate place) were well-toned, and were adorned by a pair of thigh high navy blue boots. Her arms were covered in fingerless navy blue gloves that went up to her elbows. A golden belt went across her waist, with a golden icon of her namesake in the middle. Completing the outfit was a navy blue cloak, its hood lowered to reveal her youthful face, long raven-black hair, and a red gem on her forehead **(A/N: Picture her _New Earth_ look)**.

Starfire, like Raven, was insanely beautiful. Her face, framed by a mane of thick, fiery red auburn hair that draped a bit over her shoulders and went down to the small of her back, and seemed to catch a bit of fire at the end, was practically heart-shaped and possessed a pair of luscious purple lips. Her body, which was tall, well built and curvaceous, had light orange skin. Her outfit consisted of a two-piece armor, which was clearly metal yet almost as thin as cloth, almost seemed to mold to her skin in places. The main part covered merely the chest and crotch areas, with a green gem on the waistline and three upon the neckline. On her hands was a pair of thin gauntlets, and a pair of knee-high boots matched them on her lower legs. It was all mostly purple, but there were parts where the color almost matched her skin tone, giving the impression that there was no armor there at all **(A/N: Based off of her _Injustice 2_ appearance).**

As for Cyborg, his appearance was basically a metal exoskeleton. Nearly his entire body was covered in machinery, which looked incredibly sleek. Certain parts seemed to be emphasized more, like armor pieces on his chest, his arms, etc., those parts being of a whitish color. Nearly half of his face was replaced with a metal plate, and a red cybernetic eye. The part of his head that was plainly organic was cleanly shaven, and had no visible hair on top of his head. His arms had been completely replaced with metal that could shift into whatever tool he needed. But regardless of what they did to him, you could tell by his giant size (as tall as Superman, I'd wager, and definitely taller than Starfire) and muscular appearance that he was an athlete. As a final detail for his armor, he had a little red "C" mixed with a small gear symbol on the center of his chest **(A/N: As with Starfire, picture his appearance in _Injustice 2_ ).**

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"...What...the...fuck..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter in, and already things are diverging from canon, as shown with Starfire, Raven and Cyborg being added into the mix. Though judging by the security beacon activating at the end, we're about to see some good old canon material next chapter.
> 
> Now, as many of you have noticed by now, I've been changing stuff around for this story. The reason is to make room for my upcoming future story, "The Multiverser: Death/Re-Birth by Fire". Said story is meant to serve as the re-origin story of Michael Verser, and properly display his beginnings as what he is today as a tragic hero. Someone who is motivated by the loss of those he failed to save, and strives to do better. To become, as Shirou Emiya would say, a "Hero of Justice".
> 
> Still, hope you enjoy the story, and all that will follow from here on out. Don't forget to leave a review/comment. Any and all flames, however, will be reported, and all flamers will be shot with a shotgun. Survivors will be shot again.
> 
> 'Till next time! Hero of the Multiverse, signing out!


	2. Today's The Day, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back, my fans!
> 
> Continuing from where we left off last time, Michael, Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad have infiltrated Cadmus to find out the secrets behind the lab. So far, they've discovered a veritable army being bred, a superhero being mind controlled, A SHIT TON OF SUBTERRANEAN FLOORS, and three superheroes being experimented on that were not previously in the realm of Young Justice. And to top things off, the others are in trouble.
> 
> How will things play out?...you already have a pretty good idea, but just humor me.
> 
> Also, as you may have noticed (well, those who saw the movie), I'm using an older version of Raven from "Justice League vs. Teen Titans" for her character. The reason I chose to do this is to better play into some stuff I have planned at later intervals in the story (concerning plots with her father Trigon). Therefore, she'll be 16 or 17 in the story (which will be touched upon later, I promise).
> 
> One last thing, before continuing onward: I will be paying homage to RebukeX7 in this chapter. If you can spot it, you get a virtual cookie.
> 
> Anyway, here's the disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN YOUNG JUSTICE, OR ANY CHARACTERS FROM DC COMICS, IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM. THOSE CHARACTERS BELONG TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS.
> 
> Now then, enjoy the show...

_**Voice Cast (including how I envision certain characters being voiced):** _

_**Rachel Roth/Raven - Taissa Farmiga** _

_**Koriand'r/Starfire - Kari Wahlgren** _

_**Victor Stone/Cyborg - Shemar Moore** _

_**Conner Kent/Superboy - Nolan North** _

_**M'gann M'orzz/Megan Morse/Miss Martian - Danica McKellar** _

_**Donna Troy/Wonder Girl - Emma Stone** _

* * *

**BGMs:**

**Before My Body is Dry - Kill la Kill (Cover by Sapphire ft. NoneLikeJoshua & Y. Chang) _(YouTube it)_**

**The Avengers - Alan Silverstri**

**Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater Soundtrack: Snake Eater  
**

* * *

_ **Voice Cast (including how I envision certain characters being voiced):** _

_**Rachel Roth/Raven - Adriene Mischler** _

_**Koriand'r/Starfire - Kari Wahlgren** _

_**Victor Stone/Cyborg - Khary Payton** _

_**Conner Kent/Superboy - Nolan North** _

_**M'gann M'orzz/Megan Morse/Miss Martian - Danica McKellar** _

_**Donna Troy/Wonder Girl - Emma Stone** _

* * *

**BGMs:**

**Before My Body is Dry - Kill la Kill (Cover by Sapphire ft. NoneLikeJoshua & Y. Chang) _(YouTube it)_**

**The Avengers - Alan Silverstri**

**Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater Soundtrack: Snake Eater  
**

* * *

**Michael's POV:**

* * *

Out of all the things I could've discovered down here in Cadmus' basement... **this** was the very last. Starfire, Raven, and Cyborg. I didn't know what Cadmus wanted with them, but I sure as Hell didn't want to find out.

Snapping out of my trance, I said "Akima, I want these pods open **yesterday!"**

My pink-colored A.I./girlfriend appeared out of thin air, performing an exaggerated salute as she said _**"/Say no more. Just be ready. Their vitals show no signs of alteration, but I have no idea what they'll do once they get out./"**_

I nodded, preparing myself for whatever happened. The pods let out hisses of air, then slowly opened up.

The first one to awaken was Starfire. Her eyes fluttered open, showing her eyes- emerald green sclera with glowing, light green irises- which were practically filled with innocence and light. Said eyes then focused on me as I held my hands up in a non-threatening manner (all while slyly readying _Equinox_ for combat). Taking my gesture as a sign of peace- as well as correctly guessing I wasn't with Project Cadmus- she relaxed a bit, and seemed to study me a bit. I don't know what it was, but there was some kind of look in her eyes as she saw me. "Uh...I come in peace?" I said with a chuckle.

She then went on to say... **something** to me.

Whatever it was, I could tell it was in the form of a question. "Uh, sorry. I can't understand what you're saying." Which, in itself, was rather weird, as Multiversers are supposed to be capable to understand any and all languages.

Though I later found out that that was Duncan's doing.

Asshole.

She then smiled a bit beckoned me over, which I obliged. "What is i- **MMPH?!"**

Those last words were instantly cut off as she took hold of my head and leaned down. Her lips collided with mine, making my eyes widen and body tense in shock while her eyes closed and relaxed. Her lips were soft, but her kiss seemed much more...well, it was rather strong. And a bit passionate. However, I kinda accidentally let myself get lost in the kiss, and was left confused when it broke apart.

"Thank you," she said with a smile. "Tell me, are you a friend?"

After my brain caught up with my body- and silently cursing myself for forgetting about how her species picks up languages- I pulled up my hood in order to hide my atomic blush as I answered "Uh, a friend. **Definitely** a friend." Straightening myself out, I bowed as I introduced myself. "Michael Verser, at your service. Though when I'm in uniform, I'm known as Atlas."

Smiling brightly, she said "Again, I thank you for freeing me. I am Koriand'r of Tamaran; though in your language, I am called Starfire."

"Pleasure to meet you, Kory," I said with an equally bright smile. As she smiled at the familiarity I showed her, I continued "Come on, let's get the others out of here." The two of us then opened the other pods, as I got Raven while Kory got Cyborg.

Dazed, Raven stumbled out of her pod as I caught her, which caused her to focus her indigo eyes on me. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice containing a bit of ice in it as she focused her sight on me.

"Michael Verser, a.k.a. Atlas," I replied, taking off my hood to show my face. "And you are?"

Merely nodding a bit and giving a slight (VERY slight) smile, Rachel said "I'm Raven. Though my civilian identity is Rachel Roth."

Rubbing his head after finally coming to, Cyborg was helped out of the pod by Kory as he asked "How did I even get here? One minute I was heading back in S.T.A.R. Labs to talk with dad about an upgrade; the next, I'm in a lab straight out of a science fiction movie."

"Wherever we are, there better be a damn good reason as to why we're here," Raven said as she turned to face me. Which caused the others to face me, looking for answers.

Well, that's one way to take the floor to speak. "Right. First things first. I'm Michael Verser, also known as Atlas. The tall orange beauty is Koriand'r, or Starfire; and the cutely mysterious girl in dark is Rachel Roth, a.k.a. Raven. You are?" I asked, somewhat noticing the smile and blush on Kory's and Rachel's faces (respectively).

Extending his hand, I shook it as he replied "Victor Stone. Though people at S.T.A.R. Labs have started to call me 'Cyborg'...three guesses why," he finished dryly.

Nodding with a chuckle, I said "Alright then, Kory, Vic, Rae. Here's the deal: you three were kidnapped by a science group named Project Cadmus. They were apparently planning on augmenting all of you with alien tech in order to turn you into obedient slaves. Fortunately, I managed to find you and break you out before the guy in charge could try anything."

Kory's eyes were glowing green as I finished. **"How dare..."** she growled. "When I get my hands on whoever's responsible..."

"Get in line," Raven said, dark energy swirling around her.

Victor took a slight step back. "I want some payback too, but are you sure they're gonna be okay?" he asked me.

"I don't see why not," I replied. "Besides, you need to find an outlet to vent your frustrations on. Otherwise, those feelings bottle up, and you could snap at the **worst** possible time." He simply stared at me. "Trust me, better to have pissed off women **with** you than **against** you," I said.

"...Fair enough."

Suddenly, alarms started to blare as the room was flashing with red light. "Oh, that **can** **not** be good," I said to myself. Suddenly, the emergency beacons I gave the others went off, causing me to groan in annoyance. "Yep. **Definitely** not good."

* * *

**Chapter 2: Today's the Day (Part 2)**

* * *

**Third Person's POV:**

* * *

**Washington DC, A few minutes ago...**

* * *

As Michael made his way down one hallway, Robin, Kaldur and Wally went down the other. After managing to get past Dubbilex, they ran like bats out of Hell toward the room holding Project Kr. They eventually came to the entrance to the project just as the door was beginning to close, crashing into the scientist walking out on the way.

Placing a container in the way of the closing door, Wally managed to hold it open long enough for the three of them to get through before Kaldur kicked the container out. Hearing the G-Elves on the other side growling and scratching at the door, Robin hacked into the door's systems and activated the lock. "There," he said. "I've disabled the door. We're safe."

"We're trapped," Kaldur clarified.

"Uh, guys?" Wally called out. "You'll wanna see this." He then activated the system's lights, revealing what Project Kr was: a person who greatly resembled a younger Superman, wearing a white skin-tight suit with the symbol of the House of El plastered on the chest. Above him were three G-Gnomes, who were feeding information into his head while he slept, trying to turn him into a soldier- a weapon- for The Light to use for their agenda.

"...Ah, crap baskets," Robin muttered.

"Big K, little R," Wally said as he got a closer look at the subject in the pod. "The atomic symbol for Krypton. Clone?"

Looking at Robin, Kaldur said "Robin, hack."

The Boy Wonder immediately got to work, hacking into the terminal to find out what he could about the person in the pod. "Weapon designation: Superboy. A clone force grown in... **sixteen weeks?!** From DNA acquired by Superman!"

 **"Stolen** from Superman," Kaldur corrected.

"No way the big guy knows about this," Wally added.

"Solar suit allows him to absorb yellow sun radiation 24/7."

"And these...things?" Kaldur asked, pointing at the G-Gnomes.

"Genomorpic Gnomes," Robin answered. "Telepathic. Force feeding him an education."

"Along with who knows what else," Wally said. "They're making a slave out of, well, Superman's son."

Kaldur looked at Superboy, saying "We have to tell the League about this."

"Well we can't leave him like this," Robin said, unaware of the G-Gnome's glowing horns.

Taking a moment to think, Kaldur said "Set him free." Getting to work immediately, Robin had the pod opened in less than a minute. Immediately afterwards, Superboy's eyes opened, then he charged forward and tackled Kaldur to the ground. He started punching him left and right before Robin and Wally tried to hold his arms back.

"Whoa!" Wally exclaimed. "Hold on, Supey!"

"We're on your side!" Robin's attempt to reason fell on deaf ears, as Superboy flung Wally into the glass tube behind him. "I don't want to do this," Robin said as he hit Superboy with a gas pellet, "but you're not leaving me much of a choice." Kaldur then used both legs to kick Superboy away, allowing Robin to hit him with a taser. It proved ineffective, however, as he pulled the Boy Wonder over to him and flung him to the ground, placing his foot over his chest.

Kaldur ran forward, Water-Bearer in hand, shaping it into a giant hammer as he screamed **"ENOUGH!"** He hit Superboy hard, slamming him into the gurney that held him. Robin fell unconscious immediately afterwards, just as Superboy got back up and went over to them. "We are trying to help you!" Kaldur attempted to reason. The influence of the G-Gnomes were too strong, however, and the fight resumed. After a brief scuffle, Superboy slammed Kaldur into the ceiling a few times, bringing the Atlantean hero into unconsciousness. Before allowing the darkness to overtake his consciousness, Kaldur managed to activate his distress beacon, hoping I would be able to get there in time.

Superboy raised his fists, ready to deliver the final blow when suddenly, the world around him seemed to slow down.

Then a yellow beam of light flew past him into the G-Gnomes in his pod, killing them. His eyes then gained clarity, as if a light bulb had just turned on in his mind. _"/Okay, now that you can think.../"_ he heard a distorted voice say as he turned around. Behind him was a man in a silver futuristic armor, wearing a black and red coat with a hood covering his face, leaving only two glowing yellow eyes staring at him.

"Who are you?" Superboy asked, unsure of who...or **what...** this being was.

 _"/A friend of a friend,/"_ the man replied. _"/And a friend of you. I'm known by many names, but you can call me...the Timeshifter. You don't know_ _ **me,**_ _but I know_ _ **you.**_ _You are Superboy, a clone of Superman made by Cadmus to replace the Man of Steel, should he perish or turn from the light. But that's what they_ _ **want**_ _you to think. What you were really made for is to_ _ **kill**_ _Superman, but those guys,/"_ he said as he pointed to the heroes Superboy had beaten, _"/weren't going to let you suffer that fate. And you attacked them for it. You have images of stuff in your head, right? But have you seen them?/"_ Shadow asked. Superboy was silent. He never saw the images in real life.

"No, I haven't," he said.

 _"/These guys can help you see them. Meet Superman even. Though he'll probably try to stay away from you. If he does, I recommend you deck him._ _ **Hard.**_ _But either way, I'm offering you a choice,/"_ Timeshifter said as he held out his hands, which were closed.

"What choice?" the clone asked.

 _"/Take the blue pill, I disappear. You can believe this conversation never happened, and you carry on your orders,"_ he said, opening his left hand to show a blue pill. He then opened his other hand to show a red pill. _"Take the red pill, and Cadmus' control is wiped. You'll be immune to the G-Gnomes influence, and will be able to think for yourself. You'll be able to become a hero like them, and I'll show you how_ _ **fucked up**_ _Cadmus_ _ **really**_ _is,/"_ he continued.

Superboy stared at the pills, thinking. His existence was a lie. He was only created to be a weapon. That thought made him angry, furious even. Learning the truth, he now only wanted one thing: to be free like everyone else. However, he didn't know if the world accept him.

 _'Only one way to find out,'_ he thought. He reached his hand out and took the red pill, put it in his mouth and swallowed it.

Timeshifter nodded in approval. _"/Alright. When those doors open, do_ _ **not**_ _attack the ones outside. They're with the guys you wiped the floor with. We'll meet again soon. Also, do me a favor,/"_ he said as orange sparks started to surround him.

"What is it?" Superboy asked.

 _"/Tell Atlas that Adam said 'hi'./"_ A bright light flashed, and when it cleared, the Timeshifter was gone.

Suddenly, Superboy heard grunts and blasts of energy hitting multiple people. After a few moments, it stopped. A ghostly figure then walked through the solid metal doors. That figure being Michael Verser.

* * *

**Michael's POV:**

* * *

"Huh," I said as I surveyed the damage. Turning my attention to the young clone, I asked "So, do we have to fight now?"

Shaking his head, Superboy said "No. I'm done taking orders from Cadmus. All I want now is what you and these people have: freedom."

Relief surged through me like a tidal wave. I wasn't sure then how Superboy got free of Cadmus' control, but I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. "You have no idea how glad I am to hear that," I said as I opened the door on this end. Kory, Raven, and Victor came running in, surprised to see a younger Superman before them. At the same time, I woke the others up, bringing them up to speed (as well as slapping Wally upside the head- hard- for ogling/trying to hit on Kory and Rachel).

Sensing everyone's confusion, Superboy said "I'm the Superboy, a Genomorph, a clone of the Superman. I was created to replace him should he die in battle. Destroy him if he should ever turn from the light...or at least, that's what I was lead to believe."

"So you're like us," Raven said with understanding. "A person these people wanted to use as a weapon."

Superboy looked down at that, still reeling from the depression of his true purpose. "To aspire to be like Superman is a worthy goal," Kaldur said, placing a hand on Superboy's shoulder. "But like Superman, you deserve a life of your own."

"Cadmus won't give you that chance if you stay here," I continued. "But once we get you out of here, we'll give you that chance. A chance to see the sky, the sun..."

"Pretty sure it's past midnight," Wally interrupted. "So, we could show you the Moon."

"You'll be able to live your own life, far away from these ass-clowns. You can still be a real hero...and if you give us the chance, we can even be friends. What do you say?" I asked, holding my hand out. He hesitated for a moment, but then gave a small, genuine smile as we shook hands. "Okay then. Let's blow this popsicle stand, boys and girls."

As we left, Robin muttered "Seriously, how is he not whelmed by this situation?"

"'Whelmed'?" Victor asked.

"Don't ask," I responded.

"Seriously, what is it with you and this whelmed thing?" Wally asked.

By that time, however, Desmond decided to be a total dick and activate every Genomorph in Cadmus. "Son of a...Starfire, Aqualad, Raven, Superboy, you five are with me. Take out any Genomorph that gets too close to us. Robin, Cyborg, hack the terminal. See if you can slow down any Genomorphs heading this way. Kid Flash, scout ahead. Try to find the elevator shaft. We're getting out of this place, and no one's stopping us!"

With that, I started hitting G-Trolls with Equinox as Wally zoomed forward, knocking out G-Elves along the way. The gauntlets were set to concuss, so it only took about three hits per Troll before they fell. Kory was throwing bright pink star bolts left and right, hitting G-Elves as they climbed the walls. Raven bound the ones Kory missed to the wall, while Superboy and Kaldur were hitting the G-Trolls coming from behind.

Before more could join, the doors shut themselves, sealing the rest away from us. Victor and Robin high-fived each other, then followed us as we ran forward.

Eventually, we came to the elevator shaft and forced it open. Robin used his grappling hook and zoomed upwards, while Raven carried Wally up with her, Victor flew up with his rockets, Kory carried me with her, and Superboy grabbed Kaldur as he leaped up the shaft. Unfortunately, he eventually came to a stop in midair before beginning to descend.

Confusion and shock evident on his face, Superboy uttered "I'm falling?" Thankfully, Raven managed to grab the two, bringing them up with us as we reached our destination.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Superman can fly," Superboy said with sadness in his voice. "Why can't I fly?"

"Don't know," Wally answered, "but you can still leap tall buildings in a single bound. That's pretty cool."

"Does he ever shut up?" the half-human, half-machine hero asked.

"Not really/Not really," I answered alongside Robin.

"I hate to interrupt," Kory said as she looked up, the elevator coming down towards us, "but this will have to be where we get out." After prying open the doors, we got out just in time as the elevator passed us by. Our reprieve was short-lived, however, as we had to start running again from the G-Elves.

Superboy's head went up as Dubbilex sent him telepathic directions. "Go left! Left!" After running down the hallway to our left, he yelled "Right!" That led us to a dead end. At least, it would've been if I hadn't pointed out the vent.

"Two problems, though," Victor said as he gestured to himself. "I'm too big to fit through, and it'll take too long for everyone to crawl!"

"Not for long," I said. Confused, everyone suddenly shrunk down to fit in the palm of my hand. Smirking, I said **"Now** you guys can fit."

Glaring at me, Vic growled out (in a slightly squeaky voice that made me struggle not to laugh) "Not **one** word." Nodding, I placed them in my pocket and started crawling through the ducts. After evading the G-Elves (thanks to Robin hacking the motion sensors, to which everyone gave him props for), I grew everyone back to normal size and gestured to keep moving. We ran up the stairwell, destroying the stairs behind us to prevent anyone from following us up.

Our luck ran out as we reached Sub-Level 1, as the doors closed tight. Wally slammed into said doors before he could slow down, causing him to tumble back into our direction. Heading down a hallway to our right, the nine of us ran into a whole mess of Genomorphs, with Guardian at the lead. With Genomorphs behind us, we were trapped.

"The demonic Fu Manchu!" I exclaimed. "Oh, thank God! I thought I was going crazy!" **(A/N: Props to DCAbridgedUniverse for the joke)**

"The fact that there even **is** one really **isn't** a good thing," Robin muttered.

Before we could do anything, Dubbilex came forth and spoke to us telepathically. _'You allowed our brother the chance of freedom,'_ he "said" to us. _'For that, I thank you.'_

"Ooookay, is anyone else hearing the voice in their heads?" Wally asked nervously.

 _'It was_ _ **you,'**_ Superboy thought in shock.

 _'Yes, brother. I set the fire and lured your new friends here down into Cadmus. I was also the one who attached the links to Cyborg, Starfire and Raven to the file for Project Kr,'_ he thought as he looked at me.

 _'And guided me,'_ Superboy thought. _'Why?'_

 _'Because you are our only hope,'_ Dubbilex answered. _'The Genomorph human. You can blaze the trail for all our brothers, showing us the way to freedom.'_

"Bridge between both worlds," I summed up. "Makes sense, I guess."

_'What is your choice, brother?'_

With determination, Superboy stated "I. Choose. **Freedom."**

With a nod, the Genomorphs stood down, and Guardian was released from his control. Understanding what happened, Guardian said "Go. I'll deal with Desmond."

"I think not," said the mad doctor from behind the Genomorphs. Holding up a vial holding a glowing blue liquid, he continued "Project Blockbuster will give me the power to restore order to Cadmus."

"Yeah, whatever," I waved off in a non-caring way. "I'll let you drink that if you want, and then we can start kicking your ass. But before you go all Mr. Hyde, I just want to say something first."

"Oh?" Desmond asked with amusement. "And what would that be?"

I gave a trolling smirk that Duncan would've been proud of. **"The Game."**

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**(Play "Before My Body is Dry - Kill la Kill (Cover by Sapphire ft. NoneLikeJoshua & Y. Chang)")**

Everyone stood there, processing what I just said (those who understood smiled widely, and those not knowing The Game being unable to comprehend what I had just said). With a furious scowl and clenched teeth, Desmond growled "I'm going to enjoy killing you **far** more than I should." He then drank every last drop of the liquid, then began his transformation.

"You just **had** to piss off the scientist with the weird liquid, didn't you?" Wally asked sarcastically.

"Eh, I always wanted to say that," I waved off. "Joking aside, we should all start running now. Preferably while screaming at the top of our lungs."

"Agreed," Robin nodded.

Superboy, however, had other plans. He leaped toward Desmond- or Blockbuster, as he'd be remembered as from now on- and started punching with all his might. After delivering some punches of his own, Blockbuster rammed into Superboy, crashing through the ceiling and towards the ground floor.

***CRASH!***

**"Damn!"** Wally cried as we all avoided the rubble. Looking up at the hole in the ceiling, the young speedster asked "You guys think labcoat planned that?"

"Something tells me that he isn't planning **anything** anymore," Kory replied.

"Doesn't matter if it was planned or not, we have an ass to kick!" I cried out. We all leaped up through the hole (some flew up with assistance from others), just as Blockbuster threw Superboy right at us. Victor managed to catch him, skidding backwards a bit from the impact. Soon, we were staring each other down, readying ourselves for the final stretch. "Kid Flash, rush him! Supes, Starfire, Aqualad, knock him down!"

Wally zoomed right underneath Blockbuster, kneeling right behind his legs as Superboy, Kory and Kaldur delivered a triple punch to his face as I fired an assisting concussive shot. The impact cause Blockbuster to trip backwards over Wally, crashing to the ground. "Learned that one in Kindergarten," Wally said with some pride.

Superboy started attacking Blockbuster again, but was soon being pummeled into a pillar. Fortunately, Kaldur and Raven restrained his arm from another punch, pulling themselves in as they delivered a double kick to his face. With a roar, Blockbuster grabbed both of them and flung them to the ground, before throwing Superboy into another pillar. "Any ideas?" Superboy groaned.

"Just one: **BUM RUSH THE BITCH!"** I cried out. And everyone promptly did.

Wally sped towards the monster to try an attack, but was swatted away like a bug. This, however, was a distraction for me to hit him up close with _Equinox._ He grabbed both my hands with the intent to crush them, but I simply flicked my wrists, causing him to release me in pain. I then revealed the cause of his pain: jutting from the front of each gauntlet was a single blade about 7 inches long, one black, the other white. "Those things have **blades?!"** Robin exclaimed.

 **"Hidden** blades," I specified. "For close quarter combat that's **too** close for comfort." Unfortunately, my talking distracted me long enough for Blockbuster to slam me into Cyborg, causing us to destroy one of the pillars. Which led to a lot of pain on my end.

Oh, **so** much pain.

Noticing the pillars, Robin started planning. If we could destroy the pillars, the whole place would come down on Blockbuster. After explaining the plan to Wally, the young speedster rushed toward Blockbuster and ripped the remaining skin off his face. "Ha! Got your nose!" he taunted. This enraged the beast long enough for Victor, Kory and I to start working on the other pillars, while the others tricked Blockbuster into breaking the rest.

We then lead Blockbuster into the middle of the room, where Robin drew a large "X" with chalk. Drenching the area with water, Kaldur stepped back as Superboy and Victor knocked the brute into location. Before the former doctor could move out of the way, the Atlantean electrocuted Blockbuster, stunning him long enough for us to huddle together as Robin's explosive batarangs blew up the rest of the pillars and the joints at the ceiling.

***BOOM!***

***BOOM!***

***B-B-BOOM!***

With the whole building about to crumble, Raven yelled out "Stay close, everyone! _ **Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!"**_ With those words, she created a shield made of pure energy, protecting us from the rubble.

**(End** **"Before My Body is Dry - Kill la Kill (Cover by Sapphire ft. NoneLikeJoshua & Y. Chang)"** **)**

* * *

After making certain that we were safe enough, Raven gathered the energy in one direction and pushed it forward, clearing a path outside. We exited the rubble, breathing heavily as we did so. "X'Hal," Kory exclaimed. "We...we won."

"Was there ever...any doubt?" Robin asked, giving a high five to Wally. And leaving the two cringing in pain.

"Okay, I'm only gonna say this once," Victor stated. Smirking, he said _"Booyah."_

I couldn't help but laugh at that. **"Please** don't let that be a one-time thing."

"No promises," he shrugged.

Superboy simply looked up, presented with a view of a clear, starry sky. Hanging overhead was a beautiful full moon. "See? The moon," I pointed out to Superboy. All he could do was smile, happy to finally be outside.

To finally be free.

And then a figure flew into focus, a billowing red cape behind him as he stopped in front of us. The large red "S" on his chest was a dead giveaway to who it was. "Oh, and Superman," Wally exclaimed. "Do we keep our promises or what?"

Immediately afterwards, the rest of the Justice League arrived, surrounding us as they landed. "Hey, Atlas!" Duncan called out as he landed. "You do all of this?"

Shrugging, I gestured to my new friends and said "I had some help." This earned me a thumbs up from Duncan. This, in turn, caused many of the League to face-palm at their teammate, wondering how he managed to get into the League with his attitude.

Superboy walked up to the front of us, showing his symbol to the League. "Everyone," I began, taking note of the League's intrigued expressions, "meet Superboy. The clone of Superman."

And cue surprised looks.

Walking up to us, Batman simply said "Start talking."

* * *

**A bit later...**

* * *

While the League discussed tonight's events as Blockbuster was hauled away, I was talking with Vic, Kori, and Rachel. "Well, it was great meeting you guys," I said truthfully. "Not every day I get to rescue fellow heroes from imprisonment. Especially ones like you four."

"The feeling's mutual, Michael," Kory said with a warm, infectious smile. "Though I hope it's not the last time we work together."

"I'm with her on this," Victor agreed, nodding in approval. "Besides, there's still the fact that you saved us from a fate **way** worse than death. That's something I feel pretty much obligated to repay."

"So if you don't mind," Raven continued, though was slightly nervous about what she said next, "we were...wondering if we could join up with you?"

That, in all honesty, was not something I was expecting. "You sure about that?" I asked.

With a peck on the cheek (which honestly surprised me, and made me blush a bit) Kory answered "Absolutely."

"You bet," Victor replied.

Raven simply shrugged, saying "I don't really have anything better to do. Besides, some small part of me kind of wants to see what kind of trouble you'll get into next."

Chuckling, I smiled and said "Well then, once we're done here, we can talk to the others and see if they want to join up."

"I think that's what they're planning on," my bionic companion said, pointing at Superboy and Superman. "First, though, we ought to see how they're doing."

Heading over to the others, we arrived as Superman said "We'll uh...we'll figure something out for you. I promise." This earned a small smile from Superboy, along with an approving nod and smile from me. I guess all those talks we had over the years really got through to him. Superman then flew off, saying he needed to take care of something, though promised he'd try to come see Superboy later on.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Superboy said in realization. "Someone named Timeshifter wanted me to give you a message. He told me to tell you that 'Adam said hi.'"

My eyes widened, suddenly understanding how Superboy broke free of the G-Gnomes so easily. Chuckling, I asked "Is that so? Well, if you ever see him again, tell him I said 'thanks for the help. You and Duncan still owe me for Guatemala, though.'" That last part was growled out.

"Okay, seriously," Wally began. "What the **Hell** happened in Guatemala?!"

I shook my head. "The less you know, the better."

"Agreed," Batman said as he, Flash, Duncan and Orin walked over to us. "That aside, Cadmus **will** be investigated. All fifty-two levels. But let's make one thing clear-"

"You should have called!" Flash interrupted.

"You kidding?!" I exclaimed. "I was trying to get a signal ever since we got underground! That place was jamming our comms from the outside world!"

"Be that as it may," Batman continued, "end results aside, we are not happy. You hacked Justice League systems, disobeyed direct orders, and endangered lives. You will **not** be doing this again."

"I would like to see you try," Kory stated, eyes glowing with anger at being spoken to like a child.

"I'm sorry," Kaldur said, "but I agree with Starfire. We **will** be doing this again."

"Aqualad, stand down," Orin ordered.

Kaldur, however, wasn't having it. "Apologies, my king. But no. We did good work here tonight, the work you trained us to do. Together, on our own, we forged something powerful. Important."

"If this is about your treatment at the Hall," Flash began, "the four of you-"

"The **eight** of us," I corrected.

"And it's not," Wally said, standing by our sides.

"Batman, we're ready to use what you taught us," Robin said. "Otherwise, why teach us at all?"

"Whatever happens, I'm with them," Vic added.

"As am I," Kory stated.

"Same here," Raven said.

"Why let them tell us what to do?" Superboy asked. "It's simple: get on board, or get out of the way." And that's why Superboy is one of my Top 5 favorite characters from the show.

Just like that, the eight of us stood together, united as a team. On that day, the team that would come to be known to its enemies as Young Justice was born.

"So," Duncan said, looking at a contemplative Batman. "What's it gonna be, Bats?"

* * *

**An Hour Later...**

* * *

In the end, the League told us to meet them at Happy Harbor in three days time. Until then, we all went our separate ways with our respective mentors. Well, except for Kory, Victor and Raven. Luckily for them, Duncan and I offered to let them room with us until then, as we had plenty of room to spare.

So an hour later, they were fully settled into a penthouse that Duncan and I rented for the week. Whistling, Victor said "Swanky place."

"You live here?"

"Not really," Duncan replied to the Tamaranean. "Mikey and I just rented the place while visiting DC. We're keeping our real home away from prying eyes until we get some personal business straightened out." I thanked every deity I could think of that he didn't notice me nervously twitch as he said that. If he found out I brought Tula to our place last night, and had a romp in one of his personal rooms...

I didn't even want to think about it.

"So what are we going to do in the meantime?" Raven inquired once Duncan left us to our own devices.

"Relax, for starters," I said, stretching my arms out to loosen up. "I've heard that being held prisoner by a morally questionable person can be stressful for a person." The others either chuckled or rolled their eyes at the quip. "Other than that: train, have fun, whatever floats your boat."

"But...we don't have any boats," Kory pointed out in confusion.

...Right. Alien princess on a different planet. "It's a figure of speech," I explained. "Guess I know one thing I'll be doing during this down time..."

_'One day down...a few more to go before it really begins...'_

* * *

**Unknown Location, July 8th, 2010, 07:51 EDT**

* * *

Days later, and now it was time for everyone to meet at the assigned location the Justice League set up for us. During those few days, Duncan and I saved the life of Selena Gonzales, moving her to a place that neither the Light nor the League of Shadows could ever hope to find. She'd be safe until we could absolutely guarantee they'd stop hunting her.

While the rest of us got ready, Duncan headed out, saying he'd meet us there. Not long after, we were all standing in a nearby alleyway, right in front of a telephone booth serving as a secret door to a Zeta Tube. All of us were set to go as we were dressed in our civilian gear.

Kory was wearing a pink T-shirt that clung to her generous curves. She also wore a pair of hip-hugging blue jeans and a pair of heels. Unfortunately for me, her attire did nothing but accentuate her **IMPRESSIVE FIGURE...** and made it rather difficult to concentrate on anything other than her.

Raven wore a dark blue shirt, with a pair of dark jeans that clung to her legs perfectly, and a black jacket cut off at the midriff. She also wore a red gem necklace with gold chains. Though not as showy as Kory, Raven's attire definitely showed off her equally impressive figure and complemented her pale skin. It didn't really help that it showed off her thighs (and the rest of her legs) as it did.

Victor had on a rather large, plain gray hoodie and a pair of large black sweatpants, no shoes included (not that he needed them). I chose the outfit for him mainly to help hide his machine parts, as per his request...at least until I could make it so that he could take off the machine parts at will, and regenerate his organic side. Something I'm sure he'd greatly appreciate in the future.

I, myself, was decked out in a simple red hoodie with a white T-shirt and blue jeans, some of the only pieces of my old life I took with me. "Ready to head out?" I asked.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Raven nodded with the others.

Typing in a set of numbers into the telephone booth, the door opened to reveal a glowing portal. "So, who wants to go first?

* * *

**Mount Justice, July 8th, 2010, 08:04 EDT**

* * *

**(Play "The Avengers - Alan Silverstri")**

After arriving through the Zeta Tube, the eight of us stood together in our civilian clothes in Mount Justice, the first headquarters of the Justice League. Along with us was Duncan, Batman, and many other Justice League members who were busy cleaning up the place.

"This cave was the original secret sanctuary of the Justice League," Batman explained. "We're putting it into commission once again, seeing as you lot are determined to stick together and fight the good fight. But you'll do it on League terms."

"Which reminds me," Duncan threw in. "There will be some rules for being a part of this team. First: all of you are required to spend four hours **every day** playing _Call of Duty: Black Ops."_

 **"Sweet!"** Victor, Wally, Robin and I exclaimed while a few of the League members groaned a bit.

"Second," Batman continued, ignoring his team mates' antics, "Red Tornado will be living here as your supervisor. Black Canary will be in charge of training, which Oberon be helping in." I couldn't help but shiver at that. Suddenly, I felt sorry for the others.

"And **I** will also be serving as your Commander," Duncan threw in happily.

"Do we **really** have to call you that?" Robin asked.

"Well, that all depends, bird boy," Duncan shot back without missing a beat. "Would you prefer to have your rib cage unbroken, or not?"

"Sir, yes sir, Commander!" the Boy Wonder hastily saluted. Wally and I did the same thing.

"And finally," the King of the Multiverers finished, "I will be deploying you on missions that Batman and I choose."

"Real missions?" Robin inquired.

"Yes," Batman answered. "But **covert."**

"The League will still handle the obvious stuff, like alien invasions and the like," Flash continued. "There's a reason we wear these big targets on our chests."

"But Cadmus proves that the bad guys are getting smarter," added Orin. "Batman and Oberon need a team that can operate on the sly."

"The ten of you will be that team," Duncan finished.

"Sweetness!" I exclaimed. "We're a superhero Black Ops team!"

Robin and I high-fived each other before he realized one important bit of info. "Wait a minute," Robin said. "Did you say **ten?"**

Gesturing behind us, we turned to see Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman walking up to us, each with a girl by their side. The one next to Martian Manhunter was a Martian as well, evident by her green skin, though was more human in appearance. She had red hair that went behind her shoulders, with alluring pink lips and beautiful brown eyes. She wore a white shirt with a red "X" across her chest, along with a blue cape, a blue skirt, blue boots and blue gloves.

The one next to Wonder Woman was almost an exact copy of her, except in teenage form. She had black hair that, like her companion, went past her shoulders, as well as two golden star earrings. Her attire consisted of a red sleeveless, low cut jumpsuit (which showed off her ample chest) with gold stars on the front. Completing the outfit was a gold belt, black boots, and silver bracelets similar to Wonder Woman's. A lasso similar to her mentor's resided on her left hip.

"This is my niece," Martian Manhunter explained. "Miss Martian." Also known as M'gann M'orzz, or Megan Morse.

"And this is my protege," Wonder Woman added. "Wonder Girl." Also known as Donna Troy.

"Hi," Megan nervously greeted.

"Greetings," Donna respectfully nodded.

"Liking this gig more every minute," Wally said to Robin. "Welcome aboard! I'm Kid Flash. That's Robin, Aqualad, Cyborg. It's cool if you forget their names."

I walked up to her and bowed a little. "Atlas," I greeted, giving a slight, respectful bow. "Pleasure to meet you both."

Donna smiled a bit, bowing back a bit. Megan blushed a little, with her top clothes turning into a red jacket with a black shirt underneath. "I like your jacket," she said, a bit bashfully. I couldn't help but chuckle a bit (and wonder what this could mean in the future). Duncan, however, grinned widely at the display.

The ten of us gathered around each other, with Kaldur smiling at the sight. "Today is the day," he stated.

"It most certainly is," I agreed. Now the fun could **really** start.

**(End "The Avengers - Alan Silverstri")**

* * *

**Third Person's POV:**

* * *

**Unknown Location, Unknown Time:**

* * *

In a different location, there stood a man.

This man, surrounded in darkness, was staring at a number of screens. On one, Guardian was talking with Dubbilex and Dr. Spence about turning Cadmus around into a more legitimate business. An admirable goal, in the man's opinion, but moot as long as the Light existed.

Moving the screen out of the way, he brought up a recording of the events that played out in Cadmus. Mainly, footage with Timeshifter, Starfire, Raven, and Cyborg. He had expected that other Multiversers would show up eventually, but it was rather annoying to have Duncan Verser's "Shadow" running around.

What he was not expecting, however, was finding the four other heroes that Cadmus had stashed away. It made him wonder what else was different for this world.

 _ **"Anything new?"**_ Turning around, he looked into the darkness and saw the silhouette of another person.

 **"Yes, actually,"** the man responded. **"For starters, we have Adam Verser here."** The individual in the shadows tensed at that. **"Plus, we have three new players on the field: Starfire, Raven, and Cyborg."**

 _ **"...That's...unexpected,"**_ he replied in honest shock.

**"Tell me about it. Now we need to see if there's anything else that's different in this world."**

_**"Will it interfere with our plans?"** _

**"Not in the slightest. Which reminds me: you have an appointment with Morrow and Stikk in a few days. Prep the Negatium for their little project, and pick the time you'll attack."**

The figure in the shadows nodded. _**"And...Michael Verser?"**_

**"...If you get the chance...terminate him. Terminate...with extreme prejudice."**

He nodded, disappearing into the shadows, his footprints the only sign he was once there. Bringing himself around, the images on the screens reflected off of his featureless metal mask as he went over the images. With a tired sigh, he knew that if he was going to have a chance at destroying Michael, Adam, and Duncan, he was going to have to do something he didn't like:

Bring himself...to the Light's attention.

* * *

**(Play "Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater Soundtrack: Snake Eater")**

**...**

**YOUNG MULTIVERSER**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**Written by:**

**Hero of the Multiverse**

**...**

**Co-Written by:**

**VindictiveDunc**

**BioshockerN7**

**...**

**Starring:**

**Michael Verser/Atlas**

**...**

**Conner Kent/Superboy**

**...**

**Dick Grayson/Robin**

**...**

**Wally West/Kid Flash**

**...**

**Kaldur'ahm/Aqualad**

**...**

**Rachel Roth/Raven**

**...**

**Koriand'r/Starfire**

**...**

**Victor Stone/Cyborg**

**...**

**Megan Morse/Miss Martian**

**...**

**Donna Troy/Wonder Girl**

**...**

**Co-Starring:**

**Akima/Lambda**

**Duncan Verser/Oberon**

**...**

**Bruce Wayne/Batman**

**John Smith/Red Tornado**

**J'onn J'onzz/Martian Manhunter**

**Oliver Queen/Green Arrow**

**Barry Allen/The Flash**

**Orin/Aquaman**

**Clark Kent/Superman**

**...**

**Jim Harper/Guardian**

**Dubbilex**

**Mark Desmond/Blockbuster**

**...**

**The "Man in Black"**

**...**

**Special Guest Appearances:**

**"Timeshifter"**

**Tula/Aquagirl**

**...**

**(End "** **Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater Soundtrack: Snake Eater** **")**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, the Team has been formed. Not only that, but there's a new enemy in play, planning their next move against both the Team and the Multiversers.
> 
> So, as you've noticed, I decided to add Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven to the Team. I gained inspiration for this from BioshockerN7 (who was the Shadow in this chapter), who gave me permission to do this. I hope I did a good job with them.
> 
> And to those who didn't figure it out, the reference I made to RebukeX7 was...The Game. If you want to know more about it, ask him.
> 
> Anyway, what will happen how that the Team is together? Find out next time, on Young Multiverser!
> 
> This is Hero of the Multiverse, signing out!


	3. Bonding Experiences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, after looking over the chapters, I figured that it would do some good to have a chapter that shows Michael interacting with his new teammates. It will help to create the bonds needed for them to really work together on the field. Plus, I really wanted to write a chapter that shows the heroes living lives outside of being a superhero.
> 
> I especially got this idea after watching the movie "Justice League vs. Teen Titans" (great movie, in my opinion), especially a certain part which I will be paying homage to. Kudos to all who are able to tell which scene I'm talking about.
> 
> Now then, here's the disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN YOUNG JUSTICE IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM! IF I DID, THERE WOULD'VE BEEN A THIRD SEASON BY NOW! Which, thanks to Netflix, might very well happen. So if you have access to Netflix, support the show by watching it so they can greenlight the third season!
> 
> I also want to give thanks to BioshockerN7, who was kind enough to help in writing a scene or two for this chapter.
> 
> Anyway, let's begin.

_ **Voice Cast (how I envision certain characters being voiced):** _

_**Kyle Rayner/Green Lantern = Yuri Lowenthal** _

_**Masamune =** _ _**Jennifer Hale (A/N: Think the voice of female Commander Shepard from "Mass Effect")** _

* * *

**BGMs:**

**Young Justice OST 06 - Arrival of the League**

**Raise Hell - Dorothy**

**Mortal Kombat Theme Song Original**

**Händel Messiah - Hallelujah Chorus** **_(YouTube it; posted by Luis Peres)_**

**Down To Nothing - Siddhartha Menon (Justice League vs. Teen Titans OST)**

* * *

**(Play "** **Young Justice OST 06 - Arrival of the League** **")**

It's been two years since I arrived in this world.

Two long years since I first arrived. Two years (at least, in this world) since I first became a Multiverser.

Since then, Duncan and I have gone on many epic adventures (especially in this world), filled with action, intrigue, acts of camaraderie, unforgivable betrayals, laughs, chaos, trials of redemption, unadulterated insanity, bonds of brotherhood, tales of romance, and most importantly...

...events filled with complete and utter **bullshit.**

So, yeah, it was a **damn** good two years.

And now, after all that we've been through, after all this time...it finally happened. Two years- two long, arduous years of countless heroics and enough bullshit to fill a book- later, the day finally occurred. The Team had finally formed. Now...now is when the fun began...

...

...

...

...Too serious, right?

***INSERT RECORD SCRATCH***

**(End "** **Young Justice OST 06 - Arrival of the League** **")**

Well, it's not like we just up and jumped right into the action. As those who paid close attention to the show recalled, about ten days passed between the day the Team was officially formed and their battle against Mister Twister. And now that I'm here, one would ask:

"What happened during those ten days?"

To answer your question, it went like this...

* * *

**(Play "Raise Hell - Dorothy")**

**Gotta raise a little hell**

The camera fades in, showing the sun rising above the planet Earth as its rays chase away the darkness.

Soon, the title fades into view.

**YOUNG MULTIVERSER**

The scene changes to show a group of silhouettes, who then scatter into different directions as an unseen enemy opens fire on them.

**Young blood, run like a river**

**Young blood, never get chained**

The camera shows a young man with dark skin, wearing a red and navy blue suit as he holds two curved handles that forms blades of water as he charges at the unseen enemy.

_**AQUALAD** _

**Young blood, heaven need a sinner**

**You can't raise hell with a saint**

Replacing him is a fair skinned young man, wearing a black t-shirt with the Superman logo emblazoned on the chest, tossing a tank at a large robot.

_**SUPERBOY** _

**Young blood, came to start a riot**

**Don't care what your old man say**

The image is replaced by one of a boy wearing a domino mask with a cape and red and black clothing, explosive projectiles in hand as he smirks.

_**ROBIN** _

**Young blood, heaven hate a sinner**

**But we're gonna raise hell anyway**

**Raise Hell**

A blur of yellow passes by, stopping to reveal a young man with fiery red hair wearing a yellow and red bodysuit as he beats a group of thieves with super speed.

_**KID FLASH** _

**Yeah**

**Raise Hell**

A green skinned girl then appeared, her eyes glowing green as she telepathically lifts a section of the ground to block a barrage of enemy fire.

_**MISS MARTIAN** _

**Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell**

The scene changes to a girl with long blonde hair and a green costume, pulling back a bow with three arrows, all fired at an unseen enemy.

_**ARTEMIS** _

**Baby, drop them bombs**

A girl with black hair and a red sleeveless jump suit soared through the air, spinning a golden lasso around as she flew onto the scene.

_**WONDER GIRL** _

**Baby, sell that soul**

Above the sea, a girl with orange skin and long red hair soars through the sky, her green eyes glowing as pink bolts of energy form in her hands.

_**STARFIRE** _

**Heaven fare thee well**

A pale skinned girl wearing a navy blue dress and cloak follows suit, wielding dark energy as she faces her opponent.

_**RAVEN** _

**Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell**

A man with dark skin, covered mostly in machinery, changes his arm into a cannon as he smirks at a group of enemies.

_**CYBORG** _

A young man wearing white and blue stands on top of a building, before pulling a hood over his head and leaping off.

**Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell**

He joins the rest of his team below, fighting a large group of enemies with little to no ease.

The unnamed young man leaps into the air, punching his foe and causing the screen to white out.

**Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell**

Fading back into focus, the group of enemies is shown defeated, with the group of young heroes standing victorious as they look towards the screen.

**(End "Raise Hell - Dorothy")**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Bonding Experiences are Awesome**

* * *

**Happy Harbor, July 9, 09:25 EDT**

* * *

Well, it finally happened. As of yesterday, the Team was finally formed. I was honestly so excited, that I nearly forgot something important:

Our first mission won't be for nearly **two whole weeks.**

...

...

...

...

...

...There was much banging of the head against a brick wall upon **that** light bulb lighting up. Such as right now.

***THUNK***

"Fuck."

***THUNK***

"This."

***THUNK***

"Bull."

***THUNK***

"Shit."

***THUNK***

***THUNK***

***THUNK***

***THUNK***

***THUNK***

...In case you're wondering, I'd been at this for at least fifteen minutes and counting. I could feel the blood staining the wall from how hard I was hitting it. Yet I couldn't even bring myself to care. One of the benefits of being an omnipotent demigod is that injuries like this heal pretty quick.

Eventually, I stopped myself from causing any more brain damage and just sat down. Sighing, I said to myself "Okay, Mikey. So you have to wait a little bit longer until you can finally get to the action. So what? You've been waiting for two years; what's ten more days?"

 _ **"Considering the damage you did to the wall,"**_ Akima said as she popped up, gesturing to the bloody dent I made, _**"I'd say you need to find a way to pass the time."**_

"...Fuck..."

* * *

In the end, I decided to get some exercise and training in, rather than knock myself unconscious. After changing into some workout clothes (consisting of a white shirt and blue under armor shorts), I entered the training room to fined Superboy and Donna sparing with each other.

The former was wearing his new attire of a black shirt with the House of El's symbol, along with a pair of blue jeans. The latter of the two, however, was wearing an off-white toga, the skirt going down to her knees. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail so as to not get in her eyes. A great look for her, and natural considering she grew up on Themyscira.

Judging by the exertion they were putting in, they'd been doing this for at least fifteen minutes. From the looks of it, it seemed to be focusing more on straight up attacks. So into the fighting, they only barely noticed me walking up and clearing my throat. "Oh, hello Michael," Donna said when she spotted me.

"What are you doing here?" Superboy asked.

"Just felt like I need some exercise," I said as I stretched a bit. "Plus, I need to blow off a bit of steam."

"Rough morning?"

"...You could say that," I muttered, hoping no one noticed the dent in the wall I made earlier.

"Care to join us?" Donna asked.

I was about to say I'd wait...but then realized this was the perfect opportunity for this. 'Akima...play the music.'

'You got it,' she responded, setting up my personal track for me to hear alone.

**(Play "Mortal Kombat Theme Song Original")**

"Sure," I said with a shrug as I walked on to the mat. "Who wants to go first?"

"I will," Superboy said with a smirk. "Been hoping to try going against you, anyway." Seems like he's betting on using his strength to win this fight. Well, I'd been planning on breaking him of his pride early on, so might as well get it out of the way.

The two of us went to the middle of the ring, stretching a bit as we got into position. Bringing his fists up, Superboy asked "Ready to lose?"

"Funny," I shot back, entering a martial arts stance. "I was just about to ask you the same thing."

"Best out of three," Donna called, setting the limit for the match. **"FIGHT!"**

Rushing forward, Superboy threw a left cross, aimed straight at my jaw. I sidestepped to the left, easily avoiding the fist and grabbing his wrist. Spinning around on the balls of my feet, I dragged my opponent along with me, catching him off guard and sending him crashing face first to the floor.

 _ **'Michael wins!'**_ Akima toned.

"Round One: Michael," I commented, bowing a bit as I did so.

Growling a bit, Superboy got right back up, and started swinging. To his credit, he got me stepping back, avoiding a series of haymakers, hooks and jabs. Though I also blocked a few and punched back, to show I could fight.

Blocking a right jab, I said "You've definitely got the bare-knuckle brawler style down pat." I rolled to the side, delivering a few jabs of my own to the side, making him stumble a bit. "But you put too much emphasis on it."

That made him a bit angrier, and his attacks a bit more unrestrained. Deciding to end it, I grabbed him by the knuckles, and ended up flipping him over my head and onto the ground, surprising Donna quite a bit. At my feet, Superboy groaned as he regained his focus.

_**'Michael wins again! You suck!'** _

"Trick is to throw in variety into a fight," I advised.

**(Pause "Mortal Kombat Theme Song Original")**

"Again," Superboy said, getting up with some pain in his voice.

And there's his headstrong side. "See, there it is again. You're putting too much faith and pride into brute strength," I said as I held out my hand, helping the half Kryptonian clone up. "Strength is a deciding factor, but it isn't the end-all of a fight. People like Batman and Black Canary don't have the strength you do, and they've made it this far."

"He has a point, Superboy," Donna pointed out. "Great warriors have often defeated foes with superior strength through other abilities: stamina, agility, strategy..."

That served as a bit of a slap to the face to the clone of Superman. Before he could get angry, I added "I suggest learning some martial arts to make up for your lack of abilities."

"Then teach me," Superboy said as quickly as he processed that.

I smiled at his request. "Sure thing," I said with a smile. "If you want, I can set up a training session with Duncan." That got a confused look on his face. "Sorry, that's Oberon's real name. Duncan Verser."

"Verser? You're related to him?" Donna asked.

"Yep. He's my older brother, and the reason I became a hero in the first place," I replied. "He saved my life in a...pretty rough part of my civilian life. Thanks to him, though, I'm the man I am today."

"You must really look up to him," Superboy commented. In a way, it reminded him a bit of how he looked up to Superman. Thankfully, he could now have a more positive relationship with the Man of Steel earlier in life.

Chuckling, I said "Yeah...though I'm also a bit scared of him. Same goes for varying degrees for the rest of my family."

"As interesting as this talk is, may I take my turn?" Donna asked as she walked onto the mat.

"I'm not done yet," Superboy said with an irritated tone.

"Come on SB. She asked me to join. So it is only fair that she gets a turn."

He looked ready to argue...though one look from me that said 'She will fuck you up if you try this' got him to wise up. "Fine," Superboy said, sighing as he switched places with Donna.

**(Play "Mortal Kombat Theme Song Original")**

The Amazonian got into a fighting stance. "Ready?" Donna asked.

"First to fall loses." I got into a stance of my own. "Ladies first," I said with a smirk.

Unlike Superboy, Donna was trained in close quarters combat. With graceful speed, she threw a flurry of punches and kicks, each one pushing me back a bit. After she delivered a roundhouse kick, I ducked under and leaped forward, aiming a punch at her. The blow hit...though she blindsided me as well, aiming a punch at my own face.

The two of us stumbled back a bit, getting our bearings enough to launch another bout. Deciding to employ my Way of the Spider techniques, I jumped overhead, delivering a drop kick that she managed to block at the last second. Instantly leaping back, I didn't even give her time to recover before unleashing a barrage of punches, each meant to stun. She managed to get a couple punches in, causing me to break away and recover. "Need a minute?" I asked with a smirk.

Her competitive Amazonian nature was sparked. "Hardly," she replied with a smirk of her own. Leaping forward, she rolled up to me and swept under the legs, sending me falling down. I managed to use my hands to stop myself at the last second, pushing myself back up before cartwheeling past her. I then sprang up and roundhouse kicked her, sending her spinning onto the mat.

_**'Michael wins! Perfect!'** _

**(End "Mortal Kombat Theme Song Original")**

Stumbling a bit from my own landing, I went over to her and saw that the worst she had was a slightly bloody lip. "You okay?" I asked, helping her up off the floor.

She nodded, accepting my hand to pull herself up. "So this is the fighting style of the outside world," Donna said with a slight grimace as she stood up.

"To be fair, I kind of cheated," I said sheepishly. "I ended up using a martial art that I created that's a bit more for others to handle. And no, it isn't something I'm planning on teaching you, Supey."

"Dammit," he muttered.

An idea came to Donna. "How about two-on-one?" she asked. "Superboy and I against you."

I was a bit surprised by that. "You sure?" I asked.

"I don't see why not. Besides, it can serve as a learning experience for Superboy to fight more effectively with a partner."

Well, couldn't argue with that logic. "Okay then. You game, Supey?"

He walked forward rolling his shoulders. "You know it."

For the record, we would state that our friendly spar only devolved into a three-way brawl after an accidental punch to the gonads. And we made sure to fix up the damages.

* * *

After that little spar devolved into a brawl that some of the others had to break up, I decided to go cool off for a bit. Afterwards, while most of the others were busy in the cave, I was busy with a little pet project I had in mind ever since I first came to the world of _Young Justice._ Mainly, giving the surrounding area a better security system.

It always bugged me how there was only an internal security system, and not an external one. I figured that one day, there would come a time when enemies would attack the cave (especially since The Joker outed the place as the Justice League's old HQ), so I figured it would be needed to be ready for anything.

***BZZT***

**"AGH!** Son of a bitch!"

Which was why I was currently working on installing a series of automated laser turrets around the mountain, designed to either stun or destroy an enemy once it locked on. And frying my hands in the process.

Popping up next to me, Akima said _**"You know, this would go a lot more smoothly if you asked the others for help."**_

"I have it under control, Akima," I shot back. "Besides, I want this to be a surprise, especially to anyone dumb enough to attack."

She raised an eyebrow at that. _**"Is that why you installed the laser turrets around the mountain's perimeter?"**_

"Yes it is," I replied.

_**"The surface to air missile launchers?"** _

"Yep."

_**"The remote controlled minefield?"** _

"Uh-huh."

_**"The pitfall traps?"** _

"Correct."

_**"The tripwire traps, and the trenches?"** _

"Indeed."

 _ **"...The underage gamer's rage mini-bombs?"**_ the A.I. deadpanned.

"...Okay, I might've gone a bit overboard with that," I conceded, "but I at least had the foresight to have those set up with Duncan's tweaked plans. Plus, because they're miniaturized, they won't cause as much damage as they did the last time I made a bomb with that energy."

 _ **"Not the point,"**_ she said. _**"But I've gotta admit, you're doing a pretty nice job."**_

I smiled at that. "Yeah. And the fact that not even Bats knows I'm doing this is a plus.

 _ **"Got tha- Wait,"**_ she stopped herself. _**"You're doing this without Batman's knowledge of this?"**_

"Uh huh," I nodded, having finished with the latest turret. "It's easy, once you hack into the terminals and keep this stuff hidden. By the time he figures it out, it'll be too late."

"..."

"...Akima?"

 _ **"...You are as hot as fuck right now,"**_ she said honestly. _**"If I had an actual body, I would seriously fuck you, right here and now, not even caring who saw us."**_

She would, too. That's what happens when you embody Love, Lust and Eroticism.

"I have no doubt you would, Akima," I said with a smirk. "Thankfully, though, I know a way to help you out." And with that said, I entered a program that basically brought her into a state of sexual bliss (though not before hitting mute, as I needed to concentrate on his work). I would hear about it later.

Unfortunately.

* * *

After heading back inside, I was met up by Victor, who instantly noticed the toolbox I had on hand. "Building something?" he asked.

"More upgrading something," I responded. "I spent the last few hours adding an exterior defense system. This mountain is now a true fortress."

"What kind of defenses did you add?"

"...Let's just say it's the kind that Batman and Oberon don't need to know about yet," I hesitantly responded.

"...I'm...not gonna dig into that," the half-machine hero said, wondering if he should be wary of his friend or not. "Still, didn't figure you for a techie."

"I'm not, though I was mentored in working with machines. Makes it easier to hack into an enemy robot and make them turn," I said with a chuckle, recalling the time I did that to a couple of Megatron's soldiers. "Oh, the looks on their faces."

Victor couldn't help but chuckle at the mental image I placed in his head. "Sounds like you've had some fun in the past."

"You have no idea, Vic. Of course, I also know how to upgrade some tech, too."

"No kidding? Anything in particular?"

"Hmm...well, I'm currently trying to figure out a way for you to be able to take your tech off at will so you can survive without it," I mentioned. And it was the truth. I've been trying to figure out a way to upgrade his tech to the point where he could take it off and blend in more easily if he wanted to.

Easier said than done, however.

Still, it earned a wide-eyed look from Victor. "You're...You're serious?" he asked.

"Completely," I answered. "Of course, it's harder than it looks, considering I don't exactly know much about tech, and even less about your own. Where'd you get it, anyway?"

That made him flinch a bit. "...STAR Labs," he said after a moment. "My old man has a bunch of tech gathered from all over the place, all of it in a place the scientists call the 'Red Room.' Dad's one of the few people with high enough clearance to get in there, though." Sighing, he looked at his own hands as he said "And he used it to save me."

I noticed a little bit of irritation under his words. Makes sense, as even in the comics, he held some form of anger toward his father for turning him into a cyborg. Definitely a relationship I'll have to fix up at some point.

"He must've really cared if he was risking to use experimental tech to save you," I commented.

"I know he does," he said. "He just...has a difficult time expressing it most of the time." Translation: all the time.

Definitely something to take care of at a later date. "Well, maybe we can go see him sometime. Try and work on what makes your tech work. At that point, I can try and work on that upgrade for you."

"Thanks, man," he said with a smile. "That really means a lot, you tryin' to make me feel normal again."

"Normal's completely overrated," I waved off. "Well, I think I'm going to go play some video games."

"What kind?" he asked.

"Shooters, racing, that kind of stuff."

"...Any two-player stuff?"

"..." A cheshire grin plastered my face.

* * *

 **"BOOM, HEADSHOT!"** I whooped in glee.

"Oh come on! How the fuck do you do that?!"

"Years of practice, that's how," I responded. "No one can beat me in a shooter game at this point. Especially a game like _Halo_." Of course, it helps that I've had years of practice in actual firefights in different worlds as well, especially in the world of _Halo_.

"Fair enough," he responded with a chuckle. "So, care to play again?" Victor asked.

"It's on, tin man," I replied, sparking a competitive spirit between the two of us. After that, for the next few hours, if someone were to walk into the living room, they'd see Victor and I having a blast on the Xbox. A state that the two of us would be in for the rest of the day.

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

* * *

As I walked through my apartment, I thought to myself on what I would do today. I had accomplished quite a bit after adding onto the security system a few hours ago, as well as playing a lot of Black Ops with Victor (side note, we eventually got onto Halo and kicked major ass together). However, there wasn't a whole lot to do now, which left me with quite a lot of free time.

Which in turn left me wanting to do **something** to counter-balance that.

"So, what do I do now?" I said to myself.

While I was heading to the kitchen for food, I noticed Raven's door was open a bit. Scented smoke wafted out, which made me feel...relaxed. More than usual, anyway. "Wonder what she is up to?" I said to myself. Opening the door a bit more, I found my answer. Raven was floating in the middle of her room, legs crossed over each other, while she meditated. Incense filled the room, providing a calming, focused effect for her mind.

"I know you are there Michael," Raven said without turning to face the door.

Sheepishly, I entered the room. "Hey Raven. How you doing?" I asked.

"I'm trying to meditate," she said with an annoyed tone. "It's easier when I don't hear noises, such as someone opening my door a bit."

And there's the foot in my mouth. "Sorry about that," I apologized. "You looked pretty into it when I came in."

"Yes," Raven said with a slight nod.

"...Um...mind if I join you?" I asked nervously.

Turning to look at me, a moment of silence passed...before she gave a small version of her smile. "If I wasn't friends with you, I would say no," Raven said as she returned to her position.

Taking a spot in front of her, I sat down cross-legged and closed my eyes. The scent of the incense filled my nostrils as I began to breathe slowly.

"Clear your mind," Raven said quietly. "Drive away all other thoughts. Think only on your breathing."

I slowly breathed in and out, following her instructions as the sweet smelling smoke filling my head and lungs. Didn't know what kind of incense this was, but I made a mental note to get some for myself.

After a while, I felt lightheaded. And then...

_**"Azarath...Metrion...Zinthos."** _

With that, I felt a cord tug in my head. As our minds connected, a weightless sensation filled my body. I felt like I was floating in nothingness...then I opened my eyes, and found that I was. There was nothing around either myself or Raven, just a vast white space as far as the eye could see.

"This is...a first for me," I said as we just floated around.

"Same here," Raven said as she looked around. "Though this is a good sign."

"For what?"

"That you're in a deep, meditative state of mind," she responded. "I'm impressed. It took me two years in Azarath before I could reach this level of Zen."

"I heard about that place," I said, recalling its existence through mediums of the DC Universe. "It's supposed to be a place of peace and non-violence, right?"

"Correct. Its inhabitants, however...well, let's just say they take the stance of not getting involved in a conflict very strictly."

I nodded, recalling how they never even put up a fight whenever her father showed his ugly mug. "Still, there must've been some part of it you liked?"

"...My mother," she responded, looking down at the nonexistent floor. "She's the only reason I'd ever go back to Azarath after I...left..."

That struck a chord in my heartstrings. Setting up a table and chairs for us, I sat us down and began "What's she like?"

A small smile- a genuine smile- formed as she answered. "Kind, and caring. She always looked out for me, even when others in Azarath looked down on me. She's one of the kindest souls I know."

"She must've been worried when you left," I said.

"...Most likely," she muttered. "I'm hoping to make amends for leaving without saying a word...just not now."

"Fair enough. Though take my advice: don't wait too long to say what needs to be said. Otherwise...you'll be filled with regret...never getting the chance to say 'sorry'..."

"...Michael?"

"Sorry, didn't mean to trail off like that," I said. The look in her eyes, though...she knew I was talking about myself just now. Thankfully, she decided to let it drop for now. "Moving on, though; were there any interesting tales growing up in Azarath?"

A chuckle fell from her mouth. "Well, there was one time I accidentally turned an entire building midnight blue." After that, we just went on talking, as well as laughing. I made a note to try and get her to laugh more outside the Astral Plain. Preferably after dealing with her father and his influence.

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

* * *

I was also out and about in Batman's home turf, taking in the sights along with Kory. It had been a little over a week since I was here last, and the place was looking as bright as ever. Of course, that had been thanks to Duncan and I, taking time out of our schedules for a few months to help Batman and Robin cut down on the crime rate spectacularly.

In a certain magazine, Gotham had been declared one of the cities with the lowest crime rate. Something that Bats was happy to hear about, and led to him trusting us enough to work out of the Batcave if need be.

So, it made sense to bring the Tamaranean ray of sunshine here on this little day off. And man, was she enjoying the sights. "This place is wonderful!" she exclaimed as we walked through the park. "Everything here looks like its brand new!"

Chuckling, I said "Yeah, you can thank Duncan and I for helping to clean up the place. Hard to believe that this is the same Gotham I found myself in over two years ago."

"Were things that bad?" she asked.

"A bit, yeah," I admitted. "I mean, Batman may have been taking care of most crime in the city, but there were still those that managed to get away. Thankfully, Duncan and yours truly decided to stick around for a while, and badda bing badda boom, the crime rate drops six months later!"

"Amazing," she exclaimed. "I suppose that the city holds the two of you in high regard for your actions?"

"You could say that," I trailed off, recalling the statues that were erected side by side with Batman's. It was a surreal sight, actually seeing someone build a statue in honor of yourself. Something I never would've experienced back when I was human.

Still, I was a bit more focused on how at ease everyone in the city had been to really pay attention to the statue. It was always the little things in life.

Looking around the park, Michael noticed a lot of people were looking in their direction. Mostly men (with some women here and there) transfixed on their location. Then he recalled who exactly he was walking with. "I think everyone's staring at you, Kory," I said playfully.

Noticing the stares of men and women in the area (and a few people who were jogging that crashed into trees due to staring at her), she giggled a bit and said "I suppose they are. Though, why would they? Surely they are used to extraterrestrials on the planet, are they not?"

{She's joking, right?} Sterling asked honestly. {The fact that she has both sexes staring at her- both with fascination **and** lust- is enough to say something about how attractive she is!...wait, how old is she, anyway?}

"I think they aren't used to seeing someone as beautiful as you, Kori," I said honestly. Somewhat noticing her blush and smile, I continued "Honestly, I'd be surprised if there **wasn't** a single person staring at you. I'd probably be staring, too, if I were in that crowd."

Her blush deepened at my words, as did her smile. "I suppose you are correct," she admitted. "Though my older sister is far more beautiful than me."

"Really?" I asked with surprise. "You know, speaking of which, I've been living with you for the past week, and I don't really know anything about you. Not even how old you are."

{Please be legal, please be legal, please be legal, please be legal...}

 _'Can it, Sterling,'_ I thought, though secretly hoping the same.

"Well, for starters," she began, "I am nineteen years old."

* * *

**(Play "** **Händel Messiah - Hallelujah Chorus** **")**

You know that feeling you get, when you're filled with such a large amount of joy that you can practically hear "Hallelujah" playing in the background? Well, that was the feeling that Sterling (and many others in my head) were experiencing at that very moment in time.

**{THANK YOU! THANK YOU, SWEET MERCIFUL LORD IN HEAVEN! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH!}**

Inside my head, I sweat-dropped as I saw my "brother" kneeling on the ground, arms outstretched as tears of joy fell down his cheeks, all while a ray of light fell down upon him. It didn't help that a few of the more perverted inhabitants in my mind were doing the exact same thing.

 _'...Idiots,'_ I thought to himself.

**(End "** **Händel Messiah - Hallelujah Chorus** **")**

* * *

Getting back to reality, I said casually "Okay, that's one mystery solved. So, your sister. What's she like?"

Gaining a wistful smile, she answered "As I said, she is beautiful, and is an expert in combat. Far more so than me. She is also a bit self-centered, and rather cunning. But she is also kind and caring, even if she hides it well around others."

"Sounds like you really look up to her," I noticed.

"...Once, yes," she replied. Noticing the look I was giving, she added "It was a long time ago, and I try not to think about it."

Frowning a bit, I said "Well in my opinion, you should try to reconnect with her one day. The last thing you want is to have the last experience with your sibling be a negative one..."

"Wise words," she commented. "Your family must be proud to have someone like you."

"...You could say that," I replied softly, my eyes a bit melancholy in appearance. As quickly as it appeared, it was hidden as I said "Story for another day, though. In the meantime..." At that point, we just talked, getting to know each other a bit more (as well as soaking up the sun).

Though there was a moment where I had to...deal...with some sleazeball trying to hit on Kory. Less said, the better.

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

* * *

"Guess you were right: this stuff is pretty good here in L.A.," I muttered in pleasant surprise, finishing off the rest of a bowl of tonkotsu ramen.

"Told you," Wally said as he slurped up his noodles. Sighing in relief, he commented "Aside from Japan and China, this place has pretty great ramen shops."

 _ **"I'd have to agree with you,"**_ a feminine voice piped in. **_"Though I prefer beef-flavor myself."_**

Turning to face the source of the voice, Duncan and I beheld a beautiful woman who appeared to be a goddess. She possessed a full hourglass figure, with F-Cup breasts and an ass that's practically out of this world. Said body was covered in a rather loose black kimono (which dropped past her shoulders, generously showing off her cleavage), with a pattern of the nighttime sky and tied up in a silver sash. Her raven hair, long and luscious with streaks of glistening silver, trailed down to her ass and perfectly framed her goddess-like face (especially her black eyes and silver irises), which was covered by a silver scarf. On her feet were a pair of silver zori sandals on a pair of black socks.

During my time in the world of _Bleach,_ I discovered that my blade, _Masamune,_ had its own Zanpakuto spirit. Of course, I had to earn the right to actually wield her power, but once I did, we got to know each other rather well. For starters, she's a kind and caring soul. She's also supportive and nurturing, kind of like a mother figure. However, she's not afraid to be stern or give tough love (as I learned the hard way), and can be very scary when angered (with a sadistic streak toward her enemies a couple light years long). Seriously, you do **not** want to get on her bad side.

All in all, however, the woman was a walking definition of beauty, both inside and out. Helps that she's also a very passionate lover.

Chuckling, Duncan said "You know, I can't get over the fact that your sword is alive and can take on a form like **that,"** he finished by gesturing to Masamune with his chopsticks.

 _ **"You're just jealous because it happened to Michael and not you,"**_ she said.

"True, but that's not the point."

"I'm just glad to have her at all," I said. "She's saved me so many times, I wouldn't care if she was sentient or not; I'd still take care of her."

Lightly giggling, Masamune said _**"And that's why you're my wielder."**_ Wally simply rolled his eyes a bit.

"Still, I- what the heck?"

Looking up, I turned my attention to where Wally was looking...and I then shared in his confusion. I mean, it wasn't every day that you saw a green streak of light zig-zagging through the sky. Especially since none of the Green Lanterns were supposed to be in this area.

The light touched down outside the city. "...Check it out?" I suggested.

"Yep," my older brother/mentor nodded.

 _ **"You say that like there's another option,"**_ Masamune teased. With a glow of light, she returned to her sword form, allowing me to carry her in hand.

"I can see why you like her," the King of the Multiverse commented. Without another word, the two of us were already heading to our destination.

* * *

We arrived at the site of the light's landing in under two seconds, and found a smoldering crater a few feet away. A soft, green glow could be seen through the smoke. "So, how much you wanna bet it's friendly?" I asked.

"Knowing your luck, I'd say 50/50 at most."

"...Gee, you're so kind." The two of us cautiously walked up...and stopped as a figure emerged from the crater, stumbling a bit with each step.

Glowing a green aura, the figure was a human male with shaggy black hair. He wore a black bodysuit with white on the front of the torso. Over his heart was a half black/half green lantern symbol. Completing the outfit were a pair of green boots, green gauntlets, a stylized green mask covering most of his face...and a Green Lantern power ring on his right hand.

...Wait. Isn't that...?

...

...

...What.

The.

FUCK?!

"Oooooowwwww," the young man groaned. "Not my best landing."

"Uh, you okay?" Duncan asked.

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to do, as the young Green Lantern shot at us in shock with his ring...with the blast heading toward me. Quickly, I moved to defend myself, _Masamune_ in hand to deflect the blast.

***PA-KOW!***

**"AGH! FUCK!"** I cried as I was blasted back. The emerald beam collided right into the blade, the latter of which stood firm against the former. However, I wasn't so lucky, considering I got blown back a few feet and knocked onto my ass, lying down in the dusty earth. "...Ow."

"Oooohhh, that's gonna leave a mark," Duncan commented.

Mortified, the young Lantern moved to apologize. "Oh my God- I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to- I swear this thing has a mind of its own sometimes!"

"It's cool," I groaned, Duncan helping me up. "Geez, hits like a linebacker."

"Again, I'm sorry. I'm new to this thing, and...*sigh* I can't really control it," he admitted.

Shrugging, Duncan said "Well, no harm no foul. Plus, at least you crashed here instead of somewhere in the city." He finished with a gesture toward Los Angeles.

"Yeah, I guess you have a point- wait...you're Oberon!" he cried out, causing Duncan to gain a surprised look. "And you...you must be Atlas!" he added as he looked at me. "Holy crap! I-I'm a big fan of your work! Oh, where are my- Kyle Rayner, Green Lantern," he said enthusiastically while shaking Duncan's hand.

"Uh, thanks...how did you...?"

"Know who you are? Well, you don't exactly wear a mask under that hood," he pointed out.

 **"THAT'S WHAT I KEEP TELLING HIM!"** I cried out. **"BUT DOES HE LISTEN? NOOOOOOO!"**

Flipping me off, Duncan explained "It's because I can easily explain that there are others who share a similar face to my own."

"At least wear a domino mask!" I argued. "And as for you!" Kyle jumped back as I rounded my attention on him. "...No hard feelings," I said, holding out my hand.

Cautiously shaking it, Kyle said "You're...not sore about-"

"I've been blasted more times than I can count ever since I got my powers," I deadpanned. "Trust me, I'm used to it."

"...Fair enough."

"So, what brings you to L.A.?" Duncan asked.

"Oh, I live here," he answered. "Been trying to get a handle on these powers since I got the ring a few weeks ago. And before you ask about the uniform, it was my girlfriend's idea to differentiate myself from the others. Be honest, though: I make this look good, right?"

The three of us laughed at that. "Oh, I think you're gonna get along fine with Hal," I said.

"Speaking of which," Duncan threw in, "I should probably let him and the others know about you. You know, get someone to help you with training in ring slinging."

"Wait, really?!" he asked in excitement. Understandable, considering how popular Hal was among his Lantern peers.

"Really really," Duncan said. "First, though, let's take this somewhere away from the public..." At that, the three of us headed off to Casa de Verser. On the way, however, I looked over Masamune, who had howled in pain at the blast. That left me checking to see how she did against Kyle's shot.

What I saw made my blood run a bit cold:

A familiar crack in the blade. The same one from my encounter with one of the deadliest enemies I could face.

Frowning in worry, I knew I had to address this problem immediately...

* * *

**Third Person's POV:**

* * *

A while later, Kory was on a web chat with Wally in her room. It had been his idea for everyone to set up web accounts so they could talk anywhere, even if it was over anything mundane. Right now, however, the subject was over her earlier encounter with Michael. "It was like his eyes were...dead," she said in confusion. "As if he didn't have anything in him."

 _["Did you say anything that might've gotten him to act like that?"]_ he asked.

"Only that his family must be proud of him."

That got a knowing sigh from her friend. _["Well, that explains a lot."]_

"Do you know something?" she asked.

After a moment's pause, he answered _["His last name...wasn't originally Verser."]_ Noting her confusion, he elaborated _["He used to have a different family a while back. But he apparently lost them once his powers manifested. Won't say how he lost them, only that he can never see them again."]_

Her eyes widened in realization, matched by her slumping forward in mortification. "X'Hal, how could I be so dense?" she asked aloud, face buried in her right hand (and unintentionally giving a view of her cleavage to the now blushing speedster, who was left staring and slightly drooling). "Our talk in the park...his words were from experience..."

Shaking off his stupor, he managed to quickly realign with the conversation. _["Hey, don't beat yourself up, Kory. You couldn't have known he'd react like that,"]_ he comforted. _["It's not exactly fun to think about anything bad related to your family, anyway."]_

"...I know," she sighed. "I just wish I could've noticed sooner. I just wish there was something I could do to cheer him up..."

The Tamaranean princess laid back on her couch, mulling over the info in her head. As she did, however, Wally started staring at her legs with a knowing smirk. _["Speaking of 'fun',"]_ he began, _["you're looking a bit stressed. Maybe I could come over and we could-"]_

"Fun!" she gasped in realization.

_["Wait, what?"]_

"That's it!" she said as she sat up. "That's what we need!"

_["What who needs?"]_

"Oh, thanks Wally, you're the best!"

 _["Wait, Kory, what did I-"]_ He was cut off as she closed her laptop, thus ending the web chat. And unintentionally cock-blocking himself like an idiot.

On Kory's end, the gears were beginning to turn. "Fun..." **(A/N: A virtual cookie to anyone who can tell what that scene pays homage to)**

* * *

**Michael's POV:**

* * *

"...You want me to **what?"** Duncan asked, confusion evident on his face. The two of us were in Duncan's personal workshop, which he had stored away in a private section in the apartment. The whole place was filled with all sorts of projects, ranging from different suits of high tech armors, to simple energy weapons.

A reminder that this is someone you do **not** want to get on the bad side of.

With a sigh, I said "I was hoping you could make a sword for Masamune-chan to inhabit. A spare one, one that's **extremely** durable."

Nodding in contemplation, the King of the Multiversers said "Okay. Okay, yeah, I can do this. But, uh, can I ask **why** you want one? Especially when you already have that?"

"Because this is the only sword I have," I answered. "That last fight I was in...I've never fought anyone like him before. He was on a whole different level than anyone else I've gone up against. And he managed to break both my double's _Masamune_ and _Avalon_ with ease. I was just lucky that Masamune didn't bear the full brunt of that, otherwise..." I trailed off, not even wanting to consider what would happen to her.

Duncan nodded, placing a hand on my shoulder as he smiled. "Okay, you've twisted my arm enough. I'll make you this spare sword no problem."

Returning his smile, I said "Thanks, Dunc. You're the best!"

"And don't you forget it!" he called out as Michael left. Unknown to the latter, the former then reached into a drawer and pulled out a gem, silver-gold in appearance. With a light smirk, he trailed off "Plus, this gives me the chance to start up on my new Artificial Sacred Gears..."

* * *

"Well, that went well," I said with a smile.

 _ **'Indeed,'**_ Masamune nodded. _**'So, what now?'**_

Humming in thought, I came up with a solution. "Well, I could bring Kyle here to show him the place," I said. "I mean, if I'm gonna help train him, might as well do it in a place far away from prying eyes."

_**'Hmm...not a bad idea. Though will Duncan approve?'** _

"I'm sure he won't mind."

* * *

"Dude, this place is awesome!" Kyle said as I showed him around our shared apartment.

"Thanks," I said. "Though Duncan's the one who built this whole thing. I just helped with the furniture and stuff."

"Duncan?"

"My older brother, better known as Oberon," I explained, causing him to go wide-eyed in realization. "He's also the one who trained me...which was an...experience..."

Noticing my thousand eye stare, he asked "Rough time?"

"...You have no damn clue." Suddenly, the vid screen on the TV blinked, indicating that someone was calling. "Hold on, I gotta take this. Hello?" I called, activating the livestream chat.

 _["There you are, Michael!"]_ Kory said, her appearance causing Kyle to drop his jaw in awe. _["Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you could meet up with us at the cave in a few minutes?"]_

"Uh, sure. What's going on, though?"

 _["That's for you to find out,"]_ she responded. _["See you in a few minutes."]_ And with that, the call ended.

"...Wonder what she's got planned?" I asked myself.

"Wait, when did a Tamaranean come to Earth?" Kyle asked as he made the connection. "Better question: how do I even know what a Tamaranean is?"

"...Kyle...we have **got** to get you to figure out how to work that ring."

* * *

**Later...**

* * *

Soon, everyone was together in the cave: Wally, Kaldur, Donna, Raven, Superboy, Megan, Robin, Victor, Kyle, Kory, Duncan and I. We were all in our civilian clothes, though Victor had to wear enough to hide his cybernetic parts from others after hearing about a group outing. "Okay, I'll bite: what's up Kory?" Duncan asked.

"I figured that we could use a bit of bonding," she answered, "so I gathered us all together to have some mandatory fun tonight!"

...Many an eyebrow arched at that. "Define 'fun'," Superboy inquired.

"Fun as in what you call a...'night on the town'?" After we nodded the affirmative at her use of idioms, she continued "After looking up various entertainment sources with Michael, Duncan and Victor, I thought of a place that we could all have fun at."

As she said this, Victor opened up a Boom Tube with his tech. "All aboard the Boom Tube Express."

Looking at each other, we decided to give it a shot, figuring that it could be fun. _'Besides, anything's better than a night doing nothing.'_

 ** _'...You do know we could've had some fun tonight, right?'_** Akima questioned.

 ** _'I even had the night planned out for the three of us,'_** Masamune bemoaned.

...

...

...

...

...

...

**...DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!**

* * *

One portal later, and we arrived at our destination:

"A carnival?" Robin asked.

"Carnivals are meant to be places for people of all ages to have fun...at least, according to what I understand," Kory said. "Besides, think of this as an exercise in becoming closer with each other."

"How much closer can we get?" Raven asked, a touch of sarcasm in her voice. "Most of us have already seen you naked."

Michael had to fight down an atomic blush at recalling such an event a few days ago (a sentiment shared by a few others), while the others simply rolled their eyes. Duncan, however, was laughing out loud in his head.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna at least try to have fun here," Wally said, gaining everyone else's attention. "Besides, anything's better than a night stuck in the cave." Without another word, he started racing toward the carnival...before racing right back, a sheepish look on his face. "Uh...anyone got any money on them?"

"I'll pay for everyone," Duncan spoke up.

"You sure, dude?" Kyle asked. "Hate to break your wallet for this."

"Trust me, I've got a lot to burn," he said.

"He's not lying," I informed. "The man is fucking **loaded** ten times over." That got everyone to stare at Duncan as he pulled out a very stuffed wallet.

"Plus, Kory and Wally are right," Duncan went on to say as he pulled out a good amount of money. "You guys could use this."

"And this is a good experience for some of us," I added, knowing that this was the first time many of them- Kory, Superboy, Megan, Donna, Raven and Kaldur- would get to experience something like this, while it would be the first time in a long tie for others- Robin, Victor and Wally- to have fun like this. A good idea to have them unwind and relax. "Now then, we should probably partner up so we don't get lost."

"Got you covered," Duncan said, bringing out a sheet of paper that had the following written on it:

Group #1: Duncan, Victor, Kyle

Group #2: Duncan, Robin, Superboy, Kaldur, Wally

Group #3: Michael, Kory, Donna

Group #4: Michael, Raven, Megan

...Son of a bitch wants to toy with me, I just know it.

"Wait, how can you guys be in two groups?" Superboy asked. In response, Duncan and I created a duplicate of ourselves, each waving at him (and leaving half of everyone stunned). "...Never mind."

**(Play "Down To Nothing - Siddhartha Menon (Justice League vs. Teen Titans OST)")**

"Now with that out of the way, what say we go and have some fun?"

In response, we all got our tickets, entered the carnival, and we were off.

* * *

**A few minutes later...**

* * *

Kyle, Duncan and Victor were at a skee-ball tent, with Kyle currently on a roll. Three balls in, and he got the center every time. "Dude, that's awesome!" Victor praised. "How d'ya do that?!"

"All in the wrist," he boasted. "I've had years of practice in creative drawing."

"You're an artist?"

"Yep. Though since I got this ring," he emphasized by holding up the glowing item, "I've had to focus a bit more on training with Michael and the first human in this 'Green Lantern Corps', Hal Jordan. Heck, I recently found out that my ring is able to create anything I can think of."

That got his friend's attention. "An artist with a ring that can create anything. You must've been over the moon at that," he mused.

"Are you kidding? This is the best thing that could've happened to me! Of course, Alex managed to help me take this job seriously. Don't know what I'd do without her."

"Girlfriend, huh? What's she like?"

"A photographer, for starters," Kyle began. "So my recent sightings in L.A. gave her something to shoot her camera at...until she found out who she was taking pictures of."

Victor chuckled at that. "How deep in the doghouse are you?"

"...Shut up," he grumbled. Victor couldn't help but laugh at his friend's situation...as well as wish him the best of luck.

"I know the feeling, Kyle," Duncan said in a sage-like manner, aiming the last of his balls dead center. "The best I can say is this: no matter how right you are...you're wrong, and she's right."

"..."

"..."

"Yes, I speak from experience," he said, noting their expressions. He then slid the ball and watched as it went into the center hole. "Though don't tell Mikey. I want it to be a surprise."

"...Not sure why, but okay," Kyle shrugged.

"Damn it!" Victor grumbled, not too pleased with his lower score. "How the hell is this so hard?"

"Football's different than skee-ball, huh?" Duncan got the finger as his response.

* * *

"...And these are hot dogs," Wally went on, handing said food item to Superboy. "It's not actually made of dogs, just so you know."

"Then why call it that?" he inquired.

Munching on one of the meat products, Robin answered "No idea. All I know is, they're delicious."

"I'll stick to popcorn, thank you," Kaldur said, a bag of popcorn in his hand. Looking around, he added "I didn't think I'd see anything like this on the surface."

"You have stuff like this in Atlantis?" Robin asked.

"Indeed. Though I'm sorry to say we don't exactly have electronic games."

"Missing out, then," Duncan's double said as he walked up to them, a few pieces of pepperoni pizza in hand. "Gotta love carnival food," he said to himself.

"...Mind if I...?"

"Knock yourself out, Supey," he shrugged, handing a slice to the young clone (who handed his hot dog to Wally). Watching him down it enthusiastically was quite enjoyable to see, the half-Kryptonian clearly approving of the- as Duncan and Michael would put it- 'food of the gods' as he wolfed it down.

* * *

At another area, Donna handed Kory and I each a bag of a pink, fluffy-like substance. "What's this?" the Tamaranean princess asked.

"Cotton candy," the Amazonian replied. "Diana told me it's a type of sweet that people in man's world tend to enjoy when they can."

"Why would you eat cotton?" Kory asked in confusion. "From when I tried it as a child, I can say it's not very delicious at all."

"It's not that kind of cotton," I chuckled. "Give it a try."

Hesitantly, she tore a piece off and put it in her mouth...and hummed in approval as she chewed on it and swallowed. Licking her lips, she replied "Delicious!"

"Told you," I said.

Humming her approval, Donna said "I really have to thank Diana for introducing this to me...maybe I could bring some back to Themyscira..."

"Doubt the queen would approve." That got her to deflate a bit. "Sorry, just throwing that out there."

"You know, I'm getting the feeling you like watching me suffer a bit," Donna teased. "Especially in the training ring."

I blushed at her insinuation. "W-What?! Th-That's not true!"

"We know," Kory giggled. "I think she just likes...messing with you?" she asked, wondering if she got that right.

"Yep," her friend confirmed.

...It's. On.

* * *

Meanwhile, I was also with Raven and Megan, the latter dragging me through to see the sights while the former did her best to keep up. "What about this place?" Megan asked excitedly.

"That would be a merry go round," I answered. "You just sit on a plastic horse, and let the carousal spin you around. Kids love it."

"What's so fun about going around in a circle over and over?" Raven asked.

"Don't know the reason behind it, but- WHOA, easy, Megan!" I cried out, the Martian in question telekinetically pulling Raven and I with her to the carousal.

Annoyed, the empathetic half-demon argued "Could you not?"

"Come on, it'll be fun," she said. "I'll ride it with you. You too, Michael."

Not even giving us a chance to argue, she pulled us onto the ride, each of us grabbing onto a pole. After a few moments, we each got on a plastic horse that moved up and down, which made for a unique sensation as we spun around at an average pace.

It was...odd, being in this exact situation. I hadn't been on one of these since I was a kid (well, a kid in my first life, so that was a long, **long** time ago). Eventually, I just went along with the sensations and laughed a bit.

Megan was laughing openly as her horse went up and down, loving the sensations of motion she was going through.

Raven, though...admittedly, she was remaining as closed off as she usually was. Though...I swear, when no one else was looking...

I could've sworn I saw her lips tug into a small smile. As if she was feeling a bit of a real childhood.

 _'Note to self: bring her back onto a merry go-round again.'_ Though she'd deny it for a while, the empath had a great little smile.

Something I promised to try and get out of her more and more.

**(End "Down To Nothing - Siddhartha Menon (Justice League vs. Teen Titans OST)")**

* * *

"Uuuuuggghhh..." Robin moaned in agony. "How...can I...be getting si- URP!" And he promptly lost his lunch, Wally and Victor close behind.

What got them like this, you're wondering? I convinced most of the others to get on a Tilt-A-Whirl. A few of them managed to ride it well enough (Superboy, Kory, Donna and myself). The others...as seen previously, they were having difficulty in keeping their food down.

"I haven't felt anything like that since training in rapid currents," Kaldur said to himself, composing himself better than the others while still looking green around the gills. "That...that **thing** should be outlawed."

"I don't see what the big deal is," Superboy said with a small laugh. Apparently, he had quite a bit of fun on that ride. Others simply glared at the clone, wishing him ill (and hoping he'd get ill and blow chunks).

With a chuckle, I walked toward Duncan to see how he was doing after that. Currently, he was in front of a house of mirrors, standing there to get a hold of himself and keep his food down. As I got closer, I noticed something: the others, while a bit woozy at the moment, were all definitely enjoying their time here.

Duncan, however...he was acting a little strange...stranger than usual, that is. Every so often, he would come across a part of the carnival and stare at it. Like he was a...a war vet experiencing a flashback. Did something happen to him at a carnival in one of his past lives?

...Oh boy, I hope we didn't make a mistake bringing him along. "You okay, Dunc?" I asked in concern. "You've been staring at that house of mirrors for about fifteen minutes."

That seemed to snap him out of his trance. "Sorry, I was...somewhere else," he said. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, really. Just wanted to see how you're doing, is all."

"Well, you don't need to worry about me." Walking alongside me, Duncan noted "This was a great idea, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. I really should thank Kory for this."

 _ **'/That you should,/'**_ Akima agreed.

**_'For now, though, I'd suggest just having fun with the others. The night is young, after all, so enjoy it.'_ **

And I did. After that, our group stayed until closing time, walking about the carnival to our heart's content. At the end of the experience, I was feeling more light-hearted than I'd been in a while, a sentiment shared by the rest of the Team. Though we didn't say it, we all agreed on one thing:

Bonding experiences like this are awesome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And like that, a day in the lives of these young heroes has reached an end.
> 
> To be honest, I'd been planning for a chapter like this to be added a while ago. However, it wasn't until I watched Justice League vs. Teen Titans (which is awesome, in my opinion) that I came up with the finishing touches. All in all, I'm rather pleased with how it turned out.
> 
> Plus, as you've seen, things are going even more out of canon with the addition of Kyle Rayner, one of the most famous Green Lanterns. A result of the Multiversers presence in a scripted world having ripple effects, which can be rather unpredictable. I just hope I manage to have him turn out okay.
> 
> Anyway, until next time. Please leave a review or comment. BUT NO FLAMES, AS THOSE WILL BE IGNORED AND/OR REPORTED!
> 
> Hero of the Multiverse, signing out.


	4. Sortie With A Synthetic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, folks. The next chapter of Young Multiverser.
> 
> This chapter marks the beginning of a possible end for something Michael Verser holds dear. There will be signs of it in the next few chapters of this story (and some updates of other stories), which will all come to a head after said few chapters in this story. For now, we focus on the here and now.
> 
> Now then, here's the disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN YOUNG JUSTICE IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM! IF I DID, THERE WOULD'VE BEEN A THIRD SEASON BY NOW!
> 
> I also want to give thanks to BioshockerN7, who was kind enough to help in writing a scene or two for this chapter.
> 
> Anyway, let's begin.

**BGMs:**

**Young Justice OST 08 Martian Bio Ship**

**Let the Battles Begin! - Final Fantasy VII Music Extended**

**Uncontrollable - Xenoblade Chronicles OST**

**Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater Soundtrack: Snake Eater**

* * *

**Star City, July 17, 23:16 EDT**

* * *

It was a rather peaceful night, all things considered. Shame it was about to be ruined.

***BOOM!***

That was the sound of one of Roy's exploding arrows, hitting one individual named Brick. A supervillain and enemy of Green Arrow, Brick was currently in the process of overseeing a shipment of illegal firearms at the Star City docks. Things were going smoothly.

Until we decided to crash the party.

Which, in turn, led to Roy, Robin, Kaldur, Wally, Kori, Raven, Donna and Victor to start ruining the baddies' day. With all of the energy blasts and ass kicking going around, I'd say everyone needed this after being cooped up for a while.

Meanwhile, back at where Roy and Brick were...

**"Do you know how much I pay for a suit in my size?!"**

"Waitwaitwait, you're telling me that you actually **paid** for that monkey suit?!" I exclaimed. "Seriously, I thought that at least **you** of all people would have standards!"

***PEW***

I ducked behind the crane, landing next to Victor. "I don't think he likes me too much."

"Well, you do seem to be an acquired taste," he shrugged. Another laser bolt hit a crate nearby. "For heroes, anyway." He fired a blast right at Brick, knocking the crook to the ground. As that occurred, Donna had her lasso wrapped around a group of the bad guys, swinging them around and letting them fly toward another group. Before one of the goons could sneak up on her, a stun arrow hit him in the face, knocking him unconscious as the archer responsible ran from cover.

Dodging more blasts, Kaldur, Robin and Roy landed on a nearby container, with Kaldur explaining "The cave will have everything we need."

"For covert missions!" the Boy Wonder exclaimed. "You know, spy stuff."

"And wait till you see Superboy and Miss Martian!" Wally added once he ran up to them. "But I saw her first!"

"Only downside is that we have to take marching orders from Oberon," I yelled, "but other than that, it's pretty legit!" As I said this, Brick prepared to throw another piece of the ground he pulled up, only for said ground to be blasted by one of Kori's starbolts, followed by getting swept off his feet (literally) by one of Raven's spells.

This gave Roy the chance to fire three explosive arrows at him, blasting Brick to the ground. Shaking as he got back up, he laughed as he said "Tell Arrow he shouldn't send **boys** to do a man's job."

Sucking air through my teeth, I shook my head and muttered "He pressed the sidekick button. He shouldn't have did that."

Roy scowled deeply as he notched up another arrow, aiming it right at Brick. Arms outstretched, he taunted "Go ahead. Take your best shot."

That he did. With said shot trapping him in a substance that instantly hardened. He wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Victor and I went up to join the others, having brought down the whole group. "So, thoughts?" Robin inquired.

"Pass," he waved off, "I'm not marching to the League's tune anytime soon. Especially not while in a group they formed."

 **"We** formed the team, Roy," I countered, "not the League. And while they may give missions, that doesn't mean you need to rebel against them."

He sighed. "Look, Michael. You and I have been friends ever since you first rolled into Star City. That's the **only** reason I'm even entertaining this conversation right now. If I do join, it'll be on my terms. Until then...try to stay out of trouble." With that said, he walked off, leaving us behind with a trapped supervillain and his cronies.

"...That could've gone better," Donna noted. I sighed, annoyed that I couldn't convince him.

 _'Well, at least I managed to make some progress,'_ I thought.

"...So...we just gonna leave him trapped in that foam?" Victor asked, jerking a thumb at the trapped Brick. "'Cause I think he might be suffocating."

 **"*sigh*** Let's dig him a breathing hole," Robin drawled out.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Sortie with a Synthetic**

* * *

**Mount Justice, July 18, 11:09 EDT**

* * *

**Michael's POV:**

* * *

Ten days I've been here.

For ten **entire** days, I've been in Mount Justice with Superboy, Kory, Raven, Donna and Megan, helping them get the place in working order for when the rest of the team arrives.

And last night, I'd honestly say that the best part was helping Roy fight against Brick. While the fight was hilariously short, it was some good stress relief on my end. Even if we didn't convince Roy to join up with us early. After last night, however, everything was pretty quiet and peaceful. And boring. With a sigh, I laid back in my chair and said "Jeez, one would think that after all this time, a week would seem like nothing to a Multiverser."

 **"Well, you do have to consider that you were looking forward to this day for a while,"** Masamune said as she materialized next to me. **"And your mind has a tendency to draw out time when you're anticipating something."**

With a smile, I said "Yeah, you may have a point there, Masamune-chan. But then again, good things do come to those who wait, don't they?"

Chuckling, my Zanpakuto/girlfriend walked over to me, slowly swinging her hips in a painfully alluring way. **"Now, Michael, what have I told you about saying corny things like that?"**

Wrapping my arms around her waist, I smirked and answered "That you love them because they make you laugh?"

 **"Smartass,"** she quietly said, pulling down her scarf as she pulled me in for a soft kiss.

"You know you love it," I softly remarked before returning in to the kiss. I felt Masamune cringe in pain as my embrace got a bit too tight for her. Pulling back in concern, I asked "You okay?"

Nodding, she said **"Yes, I'm just experiencing some phantom pains from that day. I should be fine soon enough."**

I cringed at the memory of that. One of my doubles, while on his way to meet Duncan in another world, found himself in another reality altogether. Said reality was home to probably the **scariest** \- and **deadliest** \- foe I had ever faced before.

My double managed to survive the fight, but not before both his _Masamune_ and _Avalon_ were destroyed, and another double he created was slain. Ever since then, every version of _Masamune_ has been experiencing phantom pains across the Multiverse, and her blade has gained a small hairline fracture. Nothing big enough to cause the blade to break, but it was enough to cause me concern. Even if all she feels are phantom pains.

Duncan said he'd get it done as soon as he could. However, he also said it would take him a while to do, as he has some stuff he wants to add to it to make it better. Just as long as Masamune has a spare home to put herself in, I won't complain.

 **"The same goes for me,"** she replied, reminding me she could read my thoughts like an open book. **"Not that I'll break any time soon."**

"Yeah, well, better safe than sorry," I replied as I looked at the time. Only a few minutes until Red Tornado shows up.

Heading out into the main hall, I met up with my fellow roommates here in the mountain: Superboy, Kory, Raven, and Megan, who were currently accompanied by Kaldur and Victor (with everyone in civilian clothes). "Glad you could finally come out of your room, my friend," said Kaldur.

"Well, I can't just spend all my time in there, even if it is an awesome sanctuary for me," I replied.

Kory walked over to us, a sandwich in her hands containing lettuce, tomatoes, and was oozing with mustard. Gulping it down, she smiled brightly and said "This is delicious! What do you call this yellow sauce?"

Realizing that she seemed to share the love of the condiment with her cartoon show counterpart (hopefully not to the same degree), I replied "Mustard. It's a condiment used with stuff like sandwiches, burgers and hot dogs."

Having gulped down another bite, she said "We may have to get more soon. I'm afraid I might become addicted to this."

"Please don't," Raven said.

Laughing a bit, Victor said "Also, just a heads up, I kinda set up shop here last time I visited. I figured this place would be a nice place for a private workshop."

"I don't think the others will mind," Donna said. "After all, we're all going to be using this place as our home in some way or another."

"You really think this is gonna work?" Superboy asked, still a bit sore from his experience from that G-Gnome that snuck in.

"Trust me," I said, patting him on the shoulder, "This is going to be legen- wait for it...dary. Legendary!"

"...You took that from somewhere else, didn't you?" Donna asked.

"...Yeah," I slumped in defeated embarrassment.

Whirling to life, the Zeta tube called out _"Recognized, Robin, B-01. Kid Flash, B-03."_ Immediately afterwards, Wally and Robin showed up in their civvies as well, though Robin's was meant to conceal his identity (Batman's orders).

"Did you ask him?" Robin inquired.

"What did he say?" Wally asked, excitement edging his voice.

Pointing to the screen, I said "He's on his way."

"Well what are we waiting for?!" With that said, Wally zoomed toward the hidden entrance, the rest of us following close behind. Upon exiting the cave, we were greeted by a gust of wind as the aerokinetic android hero descended to the ground in front of us. "Red Tornado!"

 _"Greetings,"_ he replied. _"Is there a reason you intercepted me outside the cave?"_

"We hoped you had a mission for us," Kaldur explained.

 _"Mission assignments are the Batman's and Oberon's responsibilities,"_ Red Tornado reminded us.

"But it's been over a week!" Robin complained. "Nothing-"

Red Tornado held up his hand, effectively silencing the Boy Wonder. _"You will be tested soon enough. For the time being, simply enjoy each other's company."_

"This team is not a social club," Kaldur argued.

"You're right, Kal," I said. "But if we're going to be a team, we need to get to know each other in order to work together."

"Socializing is important in building a team," Kori said in agreement.

Nodding, Red Tornado said _"Atlas and Starfire are correct. Perhaps you all can keep busy by familiarizing yourselves with the cave."_ With that, he walked into said cave.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Wally sarcastically muttered "'Keep busy.'"

"Does he think we're falling for this?!" Robin asked, leaving me to resist face-palming myself right now.

"Oh! I'll find out!" Megan said as she tried to read his mind.

"Huh, I didn't know you could read the thoughts of androids," Donna said in surprise.

Hearing that, Megan stopped what she was doing and lightly blushed in embarrassment. "Oh. I forgot, he's inorganic. I can't read his mind."

"Nice try, though," said Wally. With a suggestive tone, he asked "Soooo, you know what **I'm** thinking right now?"

Slapping him upside the head, Victor dryly remarked "We **all** know what you're thinking right now, Casanova."

 _ **' Well, at least he isn't **_**nearly** _ **as bad as Tucker, '**_ Masamune said telepathically.

 _'Which is something we should be thankful for,'_ I thought back.

Noticing how Kaldur looked a bit annoyed, I said "Calm down, Kal. We'll get our chance to shine."

"Well, the six of us live here," Megan said as she gestured to the other inhabitants of the cave. "We wouldn't mind playing tour guides."

"Don't look at me," Superboy said, obviously not wanting to do this.

"We won't," Wally replied. Grinning at Kori, Raven, Donna and Megan, he continued "A private tour sounds-"

***SHING***

"...Wally," I calmly began as I brought out _Masamune_ from her sheath. "I will seriously cut you, right here and now." That shut him up real quick, earning an amused chuckle from the girls at my antics.

"Besides," Raven said with an amused/annoyed tone, "she never said anything about the tour being private."

"Team building," Kaldur said simply. "We'll all go."

Heading back into the cave, Megan started "So, this would be the **front** door..."

* * *

"...and this would be the **back,"** she said as we reached the other side of the mountain. "The cave is actually the entire mountain."

"Superman and Green Lantern hollowed the place out and reinforced it back in the early days of the League," Victor added.

"Then why abandon it for the Hall of Justice?" Superboy asked.

"The cave's secret location was...compromised," Kaldur answered. Completely omitting the detail that the cave was discovered by the Joker, who then proceeded to attack the Justice League and their friend, Lucas 'Snapper' Carr. Something that Superboy discovered thanks to the G-Gnome that snuck into the cave **(A/N: Believe it or not, this is canon. This was revealed in the Young Justice comic book issues #1 & 2, which took place when Superboy and Miss Martian were settling in)**.

"So they traded it in for a tourist trap?" the Boy of Steel questioned. Sarcastically, he added "Yeah, **that** makes sense."

"The Hall is a front," I threw in. "Their real HQ is a satellite called the Watchtower." That got a shocked look from the former Cadmus prisoners.

Thinking about it, Megan worriedly said "But if villains know about the cave, we must be on constant alert!"

Robin placed a hand on her shoulder, bringing her attention to him. "The bad guys know we know they know about the place, so they'd never think to look here."

"I think what he means to say," Kori said, noticing Megan's slightly confused expression, "is that we're hiding in plain sight."

"Ah. That's **much** clearer," the White Martian in disguise said.

"Does anyone else smell something?" Donna asked, her nose wrinkling at something in the air.

"Yeah." Sniffing the air, Superboy said "I smell smoke."

And just like that, Megan instantly remembered the cookies she left in the oven and flew off to the kitchen. Which were now a platter of charred dough circles.

Sighing, Megan said "I was trying out Grammy Joan's recipe from episode seventeen of- eh, never mind!"

"I bet they would've tasted great," Robin said reassuringly. "Besides, they seem to like them."

As he said this, Wally and I were practically inhaling the cookies. They might've been burned, but the flavor within was delicious! Acknowledging the looks we got from everyone, Wally slowly gulped down his food. "...We have a serious metabolism," he defended.

"And even if I didn't," I continued, "these cookies are the **shit!** Seriously, I could eat these all day long!" That brought a smile to Megan's face, as Kori tried one herself.

Gulping down the cookie, she said with a smile "They may be burnt on the outside, but all the flavor is packed within. This almost reminds me of my favorite childhood snack from Tamaran."

Her smile remaining, Megan said "I guess I'll make some more, then."

"Still, it was sweet of you to make any," said Kaldur.

"Thanks, Aqualad."

"We are off duty. Call me Kaldur'ahm. Actually, my friends call me Kaldur."

"I'm Wally," the young speedster said.

"Michael," I said.

"Victor."

"I am Koriand'r, or Kori for short."

"Rachel Roth is a pseudonym, since Raven is my real name."

"Donna."

"See? We already trust you with our secret identities," Wally said. Gesturing to Robin, he continued saying "Except for 'dark glasses' here. Batman's forbidden Boy Wonder from telling anyone his real name."

"I know his name," I threw in, "but that's only because Bats trusts me enough to not blab about it."

"Well, mine's no secret," Megan said cheerfully. "It's M'gann M'orzz. But you can call me Megan. It's an Earth name. And I'm on Earth now."

 _ **' Ah, the quirkiness of naive youth,'**_ Masamune said in a nostalgic tone.

 _'Indeed, Masamune-chan,'_ I replied.

Superboy looked a bit downtrodden, probably from not having a name of his own. Walking away, he flinched as Megan entered his mind, "saying" _'Don't worry, Superboy. We'll find you an Earth name too.'_

 **"Get out of my head!"** he screamed angrily.

Stepping back in surprise, she went on to "say" _'I don't understand,'_ all while everyone (myself included) grasped our heads in slight discomfort. _'Everyone on Mars speaks telepathically.'_

The sudden intrusion brought up all sorts of bad memories, many of which I was trying to get rid of. My eyes then turned into draconian slits as I slammed my fist on the table, leaving a dent in it as I screamed **"GET OUT!"** My sudden outburst made everyone take a few steps back, while Megan looked at me in slight fear. Seeing the look in her eyes, I quickly calmed down and instantly felt shame for freaking out like that.

"M'gann," Kaldur said calmly, "things are different here on Earth. Here, your powers are an extreme invasion of privacy."

"Besides," Wally added, gesturing to Superboy, "Cadmus' little psychic G-Gnomes left a bad taste in his brain."

Realizing what she had done, Megan said "I didn't mean to-"

 **"Just! Stay! Out!"** Superboy growled as he stormed off.

Turning her attention to me, I said "Look, I didn't mean to snap like that. It's just...last time I let someone new into my head...well, let's just say it wasn't pleasant for anyone involved. But that's the past, and this is the present. So, what'll we do now?"

Slapping herself in the forehead, Megan said "Hello, Megan! I know what we can do!"

As she flew off, I walked over to where Superboy was sitting. "Hey..." I said.

"Just leave me alone," he replied.

Sighing, I said "Look, Conner, you can't blame Megan for something she didn't know about. And you can't just act like a lone wolf all the time. You at least deserve to have friends to be with, you know."

After a few moments of thinking it over, he sighed and joined me and the others, something that Megan was happy about. While in the elevator, his face lit up in realization and asked "Wait, what did you call me?"

Realizing what I did, I silently berated myself before answering. "Uh, I called you Conner. It's your new name. Can't just keep calling you Superboy all the time, can we?"

"Why Conner?" Robin asked.

Shrugging, I replied "He just seems like a Conner to me." This caused Megan to look at the newly named Kryptonian clone and realize **exactly** where I got the idea for the new name, and subsequently making her think I knew the truth behind much of her persona. While I did, I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. Apart from that, she now saw our mutual friend in a new light.

"Conner," he said, trying the name on like it was a new suit. He smiled a bit, and said "I like it."

"Congrats on finally getting your own name!" Victor said in a congratulatory manner.

"He'll need a surname, though," Donna pointed out.

"How about Kent?" I asked. Everyone looked at me in surprise before I added "I got that from an old family that took care of me once in Smallville called the Kents. They're a nice old couple. I'm sure you'd all like 'em."

"...Alright then," Conner said with a smile. "Guess my Earth name will be 'Conner Kent' from now on."

At that point, we reached the bottom floor, the elevator doors opening to reveal a rather impressive sight. It was a large, red and black, egg-shaped device, about the size of a Hunter from _Halo._

"X'Hal," Kori exclaimed as we walked toward it. "What is that?"

"It's my Martian bio-ship," Megan answered.

"Cute," Wally commented. "Not aerodynamic, but cute."

Smiling, she held out her hand and said "It's just at rest, silly. I'll wake it." And just like that, it started to change its appearance. Wings began to protrude out, while the egg-shaped body morphed into a sleeker body for the ship. It was a rather impressive sight to behold. Kinda reminded me of a Kestrel Class AX0 Jumpship from the world of _Destiny_. Of course, that ship wasn't organic in nature.

Patting Wally on the back, I chuckled and asked "So, Wally...how's that foot tasting right now?"

"...Shut up, Michael."

**(Play "** **Young Justice OST 08 Martian Bio Ship** **")**

Telepathically commanding it, Megan walked over to the now open entrance to the ship before asking "Well? Are you coming?" A brief moment later, we were all taking our seats as the organic straps secured themselves around us. "Red Tornado, please open the bay doors."

And like that, we were soaring high into the sky.

* * *

"Wow!" Vic exclaimed.

"Impressive," Raven said as she watched the town zoom by.

Throwing in his two cents, Robin added "Incredible!"

Without even thinking, I looked over at Megan and replied "She sure is."

Megan looked at me and asked "Um, by 'she,' do you mean **me** or **my ship?"**

After mentally hitting myself in the head, I replied "Yes." Which caused me to mentally hit myself even harder.

 _ **' Smooth, Michael,'**_ Masamune said with a chuckle.

 _ **'/Like sandpaper,/'**_ Akima added.

_'...I hate you two so much right now.'_

As I talked with the two beauties in my head, Megan gained a noticeable blush as she processed what I said, Kori seemed to giggle a bit, Robin and Wally laughed at me, Donna and Victor shook their heads in amusement, and Raven simply rolled her eyes a bit. As this went on, Kaldur was trying to convince Conner to just apologize to Megan for how he acted. While he knew it was the right thing to do, Conner had too much pride at the moment to apologize.

Robin decided to be the one to break the ice. "Hey, how about showing us a little Martian shape-shifting?"

Putting the ship on auto pilot, Megan got up and transformed into me. If I were female, that is. Pretty spot on, I might add. Same went for her attempts at a transformation into Robin, and for Wally in his Kid Flash attire. "Is it wrong that I think I'm hot?" Wally asked as he stared at the transformed Megan.

"Wally," Donna said with a disgusted glare, "that is **so** wrong."

"I'm gonna have to agree with her, dude," Victor added, just as squicked as his Amazonian teammate.

Chuckling, I said "No offense, but you're not going to fool anyone with those."

"Mimicking boys is a lot harder," said Megan as she changed back, her tone a bit embarrassed.

"And your clothes?" Kaldur inquired.

"They're organic, like the ship," she answered. "They respond to my mental commands."

"As long as they're the **only** ones," Conner said coldly, causing Megan to become a bit downcast (and causing me to face-palm myself). Wally managed to shift the tone to a more cheerful one after asking if Megan could shift her density, which lead to Robin humorously recalling how Wally fails to vibrate his molecules to phase through walls. Seems he hasn't been taking my advice in that department.

As Megan was showing off the ship's camouflage mode, Red Tornado called us up on the comms. Apparently, an alarm was triggered at the power plant, meaning Mister Twister has made his move.

Scoffing, Robin muttered "Red Tornado's keeping us busy again."

"Well, even a simple fire might need a Superboy," Megan said as she brought us in. "We should find out what caused the alarm."

**(End "** **Young Justice OST 08 Martian Bio Ship** **")**

"Um, Megan," Kori said as she looked out the window. "I think I found out what caused the alarm." As she said this, an incoming tornado headed right toward us, throwing us about like a rag doll as we held on to whatever we could. Thinking fast, Megan took control and flew us clockwise out of the tornado, setting us down as Victor, Wally and I fought the urge to blow chunks.

The tornado started blowing through the power plant, causing everyone to run away. "Robin, are tornadoes common in New England?!" Kaldur didn't get an answer, however, as we noticed the Boy Wonder had already run off. Looking around, all we could find was his disembodied laughing.

"How the-?!" Victor exclaimed.

Confused as to what just happened, Megan said "H-He was just here!"

Growling in annoyance, I muttered "I hate it when he does this crap." The eight of us ran into the building, just in time to see Robin get his butt handed to him by the aerokinetic android. Landing next to Robin, Conner asked "So, who's you're new friend?"

"Didn't catch his name, but he plays kinda rough!"

 _ **"My apologies,"**_ the villain said sarcastically. _**"You may call me Mister Twister."**_ Creating and manipulating gusts of air, he managed to slow Conner down from his charge before flinging him to the wall.

"Oooohh, that's gotta hurt," I winced.

"Any ideas?" Donna asked.

"Just one." Unsheathing _Masamune_ , I cried out **"BUM RUSH THE BITCH!"**

Looking at the others, we silently gave the signal to start bringing the pain. Wally put on his goggles and charged forward, leaping into the air to kick the android square in the chest. Said attempt failed when Mister Twister caught Wally and blew him away. This gave Kori and Victor a chance to hit him with a few starbolts and energy shots, knocking him back a few feet.

Taking to the air, Twister flew right underneath Kori and delivered a solid punch to the gut, knocking the breath out of her and disorientating her long enough to have her leg grabbed and flung right into my cyborg companion. Raven tried catching him, but the criminal was too fast in the air. She got blasted back toward Kori, who managed to cushion her fall. Megan, Donna and Kaldur rushed in to help, but only got caught up in the cyclone Mister Twister created at their feet. The three were then thrown back, hitting the ground with a **THUD,** leaving Robin and I as the last ones standing.

 _ **"I was prepared to be challenged by a super hero,"**_ Mister Twister said haughtily as Robin stealthily took out a birdarang. _**"I was not, however, expecting children."**_

Growling in anger, Robin yelled "We're **not** children!" as he flung a few explosive batarangs, only to have them get blocked by Mister Twister's winds.

Flicking away one batarang that was lodged in his chest, the evil android stated _**"Objectively, you**_ **are.** _ **Have you no adult supervision?"**_ he asked as the batarang exploded behind him. _**"I find your presence here quite...**_ **disturbing."**

I shot off a few rounds from _Avalon,_ forcing him to shield himself as Robin, Kaldur, Conner and Megan got up and joined us. "Well, we'd hate to see you disturbed," I said sarcastically.

"So let's see if you're more **turbed** after we kick your can!" Robin finished as Megan wrenched open a steam tank, blinding Mister Twister as Conner tried to hit him from above. It probably would've worked, too, if Conner hadn't screamed as he was about to hit him. Instead, he wound up being blown away (again) and crashing into Megan. Kaldur, Robin and I dashed forward, only for the former two to get caught up in a whirlwind and slammed into each other. I was about to hit the bastard, but then he hit a dial on his suit and fired off another round of wind. Only this wind was black.

As the wind hit me, I could feel myself begin to freeze in pain, as if the wind was cutting right to the bones. It felt like all of the air was being ripped from my lungs, and my eyes were being prodded by needles. The worst part of it all, though, was my right shoulder. My wound was flaring up like crazy, paralyzing me with pain. As such, I was unable to move out of the way in time, and was flung right into Victor, Kori and Raven.

 _ **"Indeed,"**_ Mister Twister scoffed. _**"That was**_ **quite** _ **turbing. Nice to know this little gizmo works, though,"**_ he said as he admired the device that created the black wind. And with that, he just turned around and left.

While Wally was dealing with Mister Twister, I was left stinging from that last attack. That energy he used. It shouldn't have been possible, but...

I was brought out of my thoughts by the sound of a tornado hitting the building, with Megan keeping Wally from becoming a huge stain as the rest of us reconvened. Turning to face Mister Twister once again, he mockingly stated _**"I would've thought you'd have learned your limitations by now."**_

"What do you want?!" Kaldur screamed in frustration.

Rising into the air, he stated _**"Isn't it obvious? I'm waiting for a**_ **real** _ **hero."**_

"Read his mind," Kaldur said to Megan. "Find a weakness."

Confused, Kori inquired "But did you not say she is not supposed to do that?"

"Star, I'm pretty sure it's okay when it's done on the bad guys!" Victor exclaimed.

Nodding, Megan attempted to read his mind...only to find she couldn't. "Nothing," she said with frustration, "I'm getting **nothing!"**

Raven's eyes widened in understanding. "Of course!" she exclaimed. "That's why I couldn't get a feel for his emotions. He doesn't have any! He's a synthetic!"

"And I'm pretty sure that isn't Red Tornado," I threw in before any assumptions could be made. "If that black wind attack was what I thought it was, he wouldn't even **think** of using it on us. So I say we end this right now, before anyone else gets hurt!" I yelled out to the android.

 _ **"Consider it ended."**_ Saying that, he generated twin black tornadoes, each big enough to do some serious damage. Said tornadoes merged together, forming a large lighting storm that blasted a rather large black bolt right at us.

* * *

**Third Person's POV:**

* * *

Suddenly, everything seemed to slow down.

Megan looked around, unsure of what was causing this.

 _ **"You can put your hands down, you know,"**_ a distorted voice said as she spun around to see a man in a silver and black suit of armor. She recognized it from a game Michael had shown her called _Timeshift_ , except the suit was missing its helmet. In its place was a black and red coat, with a hood covering up his face. The only visible parts were his mouth and his glowing yellow eyes.

"Who are you?" she asked, trying to sound brave, but failing. If this guy could stop everything around her, who knows what else he could do?

 _ **"I'm not here to hurt you, Megan. Quite the opposite in fact. You need to beat this guy. Well, I'm here to speed you up. Remember how you couldn't read Twister's mind?"**_ Megan nodded. _**"Well, it's pretty obvious how. He's inorganic, an android, so I highly suggest against holding back, which is why I have a plan,"**_ he said as he beckoned her to come closer, telling her what he had in mind.

When he finished, he disappeared as everything returned to normal. Though when it did, red tornadoes appeared, blocking the bolts.

* * *

**Michael's POV:**

* * *

**(Play "Let the Battles Begin! - Final Fantasy VII Music Extended")**

As the tornadoes dispersed, a familiar figure stood among us.

**(Add a bit more)**

_"Hit the showers, team. I was hoping you could handle this. Clearly I was wrong,"_ Red Tornado said, standing right in front of Megan...

Wait a minute, what the fuck?

Red Tornado showed up early, and Megan's not him?!

_**'WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON HERE?!'** _

"Hey, we got him on the ropes!" Wally said.

 _ **"The subject is not up for debate,"**_ said Tornado. Though for some strange reason, I heard a slight trace of irritation in his voice.

We all backed up at that point, deciding to see what he had up his sleeve.

 _ **"I was beginning to think you'd never show up,"**_ Mister Twister said.

 _ **"I'm here now,"**_ Tornado replied, then launched a tornado at him, which Mister Twister dodged then knocked him down with another tornado.

He fell to the ground as wires extended from Mister Twister's hands, which connected to his head.

 _ **"The reprogramming shouldn't take much time,"**_ he said, when suddenly, Tornado chuckled.

**FUCKING CHUCKLED!**

_**"Time** isn't an issue, Twister,"_ a different voice said. A more...organic voice.

_**'/...Holy shit./'** _

"You've gotta be shitting me," I muttered, refusing to believe what was going on here.

 _ **"BECAUSE YOU HAVE NONE!"**_ As he exclaimed this, his body flashed into a form I recognized: it was the Timeshifter of the Multiverse, the "Aspect of Time," Adam Verser. Quicker than Mister Twister could react, Adam shot a laser out of his eyes, sending the android flying. Adam then turned around and looked at us, dropping his hood to reveal a most familiar smiling face.

"Sup, Supey? Mikey?" he asked as he pulled out _Muramasa_ as he turned off his voice scrambler.

Conner's eyes widened in surprise. "Timeshifter?" he asked.

Adam bowed slightly. "In the flesh."

I was left speechless at the turn of events, my jaw hanging so low it might as well have been touching the ground. Shaking myself out of my stupor, I managed to get out "Okay, what the **hell** are you doing here?!"

"Just giving you guys a hand," he replied. "You sure needed it, too, if that storm I saw was any indication."

Scoffing, Robin said "Please, Michael managed to save others from a lightning storm before, he could've done it with this."

"No, Robin, I couldn't," I replied, shocking him and the rest of the Team. "If Mister Twister has what I think he does in his systems, it's pretty much my own brand of kryptonite. That bolt would've killed us all if Adam hadn't saved us."

That served as a rather big wake up call for the others. "...Okay, I'm officially **disturbed,"** Robin said.

"Any ideas on how to stop him, then?" Conner asked. "Because at this point, anything would be good."

"Well, I say we-" I was cut off as I felt a familiar energy spike nearby. Looking in said direction, my eyes widened in slight horror as the energy continued to exert itself. "No," I breathed out.

"What is it?" Megan asked in concern.

Looking at Adam- who appeared half as nervous as me- I said "You help the others fight Mister Twister, I'll go deal with that power level." Before anyone could say anything, I flew off in the direction of the energy, leaving Adam and the Team in the field as Mister Twister arrived back on scene.

* * *

**Third Person's POV:**

* * *

_**"I don't know where you came from,"**_ he growled out, _**"but this is where you die."**_

"You've got that backwards, Mister Twister," Adam said as he sped toward Twister who blasted black wind toward him, which pushed him back a little. He looked at his hand as the metal shifted into his body to see his hand was starting to turn black in the veins. He quickly shifted metal over it. "Negatium...son of a bitch, Michael was right," he said as he took one hand off of _Steeler_ and pulled out _Wild Card_ as he fired a medium charged shot. Mister Twister simply blocked it with a black tornado, pushing everyone back.

Adam dashed toward the evil android as he swung _Muramasa_ , though Mister Twister simply caught it, then kicked Adam back as Wally sped past him and slammed into the remote controlled villain. Megan picked up a boulder with her telekinesis and threw it at him, with Adam amplifying the throw and sending Mister Twister flying.

Kaldur and Conner charged forward, fists and water bearers in hand. They swung at Mister Twister as he regained his bearings, receiving cuts across his armor from doing so. The two were then quickly batted away, leaving him wide open for a shot from Kori.

The Aspect of Time had exchanged his two weapons for _Silencer_ and threw several of the kunai at the aerokinetic android, his armor becoming more and more dented. He then shot a bolt at Adam, which blasted him to the ground. As he was about to fire again, Donna wrapped her lasso around his arm, pulling it back along with him. The Amazonian launched herself at the android, grappling him to the ground.

Adam's wrist computer was showing that his health was critical. "I've gotta end this quick," he said to himself.

Robin and Victor were running toward Mister Twister, with a cannon on the latter's hand and birdarangs in the former's as Robin tossed them which Victor fired a shot. Donna let go of Mister Twister seconds before the two attacks landed, creating a rather big explosion. They heard Adam chuckle over the blast. "Sonic Boom, baby!" he quipped.

Mister Twister sprung out of the smoke, generating more wind to use against them. Kori threw starbolt after starbolt at the villainous synthetic, while Raven threw debris at Mister Twister (who simply took the hits). That was all the distraction needed for Donna and Kaldur to launch a two-pronged attack, striking him from behind with a combination of brutal punches and electrified water. The resulting blows knocked him to the ground.

That was when they saw him start to glow pitch black.

 _ **"AUUUUURRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHH!"**_ he screamed as he made a shockwave of black energy, sending the Team flying back, while Adam's armor suffered more burns.

"You mad, bro?" Adam asked with a shit-eating grin, pulling _Highlander_ out.

 _ **"YOU ARE A BLIGHT IN MY PLANS! YOU WILL NOT STOP ME! I WILL NOT BE BEATEN BY MERE CHILDREN!"**_ he shouted, as Adam simply sped toward him and slammed _Highlander_ into him, then exchanged it for _Muramasa_ and sliced his arms off. He then picked up Mister Twister and slammed him into the ground.

"You're done," Adam said,

His words, however, simply made Mister Twister chuckle. _**"You think I wasn't prepared for you? He told me all about you. He knows your weakness. And now, the King's pawn dies."**_ As he said this, the android started glowing an intense black. Said energy began to pulsate, causing Adam's eyes to bulge in surprise.

 **"OH SHIT!"** Adam cried out. He then immediately threw his hands up as an explosion engulfed him. Dust immediately flew toward the Team as they shielded themselves. When it cleared, their eyes widened at what they saw.

Adam, standing in the center- his coat slightly torn, his armor appearing to be dented, and had some burns around it- was holding the head of Mister Twister, which had sparks coming from the bottom.

He gave a thumbs up as he said "I'm okay, go check on Michael." Though reluctant, they left Adam behind to go find Michael. After they left, Adam's visor slowly turned black as his breathing became more and more ragged. Then he looked back at the wreckage that was Mister Twister.

 **"You are terminated,"** he said before falling to his knees, then fell flat on the ground.

**(End "Let the Battles Begin! - Final Fantasy VII Music Extended")**

* * *

**Michael's POV:**

* * *

**A few minutes ago:**

* * *

I flew far into the forest, searching desperately for the source of that energy. I knew he was around here somewhere, but I-

_**"Glad to see you've finally shown up."** _

The distorted voice held icy contempt, which froze me on the spot. Turning around slowly, I came face to face with the source of the voice.

Standing behind me was a man in a red hooded coat, with a unique symbol on the back **(A/N: The symbol of Nicholas Flammel)** , and the Kanji for **"Humanity"** etched into the fabric. The coat went down to the figure's ankles, with the zipper broken apart from the waist down to show off the front of his legs (covered by the pants of a black, organic-looking bodysuit) and his black knee high boots. His face was covered by a silver helmet, the front covered with a dark glass that completely hid all traces of a face, save two red lights acting as eyes **(A/N: Think a quarian-style mask from Mass Effect)**.

Flexing his black glove-covered hands, the figure continued _**"Though to be honest, I expected you to have beaten Mister Twister by now. Kind of pathetic that you haven't, actually."**_

"You...you're not The Antiverser," I said in morbid fascination.

He huffed at me in annoyance, crossing his arms as he did so. _**"I**_ **am** _ **an Antiverser,"**_ the figure said evenly. _**"Just not the one you know."**_

Steadying my nerves, I asked "There are more of you?"

 _ **"For now, it's just him...and me,"**_ the new Antiverser replied.

Nodding, my gaze hardened a bit. "So, whose idea was it to give Mister Twister a supply of Negatium?" I inquired.

 _ **"Mine, actually. Though I made it clear he was**_ **only** _ **supposed to use it on**_ **you** _ **alone,"**_ he answered. _**"Your friends weren't supposed to get caught in the crossfire like that. For that, I apologize."**_

That threw me for a loop. "An Antiverser with a conscience? That's a new one."

 _ **"I'm not a sociopath like my boss. I only have a few**_ **specific** _ **targets. Unfortunately for you,"**_ he trailed off as he raised his arm, _**"you just happen to be on that list."**_

A swirl of darkness with a dim red light appeared around him, until it solidified into a new shape. Said shape being a Zanbatou blade, thin like a regular katana, but nearly twice as long as he was. The blade was a dark crimson, with the handle and guard a pitch black. All in all, the blade seemed to **ooze** bloodlust and rage.

**(Play "Uncontrollable - Xenoblade Chronicles OST")**

Taking an audible gulp, I dryly commented "Nice sword."

 _ **"Thank you. Her name's**_ **Masamune,"** he commented. Noticing the anger on my face, he drawled _**"Oh lay off. It's not like you'll be around long enough to argue, anyway."**_

As he said this, energy collected around the blade as he quickly swung at me. I managed to drop down just in time, only to come face to face with the tip of his blade pointed at me.

 _ **"Draw your blade,"**_ he said. _**"Then we can get started."**_

I found myself surprised at the show of honor. Shaking myself from the shock, I got back up and slowly drew my _Masamune_ from _Avalon,_ steadying the blade at a parallel angle to his own _Masamune._ Gazing at each other, the two of us then charged forward, blades ringing as sparks flew.

Separating by jumping away, we ran deeper into the forest before swinging our blades once more. Every blow was met with equal force, neither one of us giving as much as an inch.

However, the most annoying thing about this fight was his sword. Not so much as the fact that he named it _Masamune_ -

**'** _**Which greatly pisses me off!'** _

_'Ditto.'_

-but it was the length of the blade itself. Due to how long it was, he ought to have had extreme difficulty wielding it well. Yet here he was, swinging it like it was a mere stick- with one hand, I might add!- and not even tiring. Plus, the blade's length gave him more of a reach, which proved beneficial for him when he finally landed a blow.

Thrusting his _Masamune_ forward, he managed to land a decent enough cut on the right side of my abdomen. The familiar stinging sensation of Negatium swam into my blood, causing me to hiss in pain and clutch my side.

I realized too late that I let my guard down, looking up just as the Second Antiverser slammed his foot into my gut and sending me flying through a couple of trees. I finally managed to stop in a clearing near the entrance to Mount Justice, though not right in front of it. Breathing heavily, I managed to pick myself up just as he walked into the clearing as though he owned the place. _**"Just so you know, I'm not exactly impressed by your performance,"**_ he plainly stated.

Growling, I shot up and charged him. He easily side-stepped me, tripping me with one leg before grabbing the back of my jacket, flinging me back into the forest.

As soon as I landed, I got up and ran deeper into the trees. _'This is getting me nowhere fast,'_ I thought to Masamune.

_**' Indeed. He's obviously more skilled than you in combat. He's not even giving you the chance to use your powers, even if he didn't use Negatium on you.'** _

_'Can't go at him head on...which means we have to start thinking more tactically.'_

_**' Any ideas?'** _

_'A few. Akima, can you hack into the security systems that we set up on the island?'_

_**'/Been doing so since you started running,/'**_ she answered. _**'/I'm way ahead of you./'**_

_'...I don't know if that was an insult or not, but I don't care at the moment. When I give the signal, do the thing.'_

_**'/Aye aye, boss./'** _

Leaning against a tree, I peeked out to see where he was at the moment. He calmly strode forward, looking around for me while keeping his guard up. I flinched in pain as the wound pulsated, looking down at the wound as I tried to soothe it. Looking back up, he was gone.

 _ **"Nice try, Verser."**_ And he was now right behind me, his _Masamune_ pointed at my back.

Calming my heartbeat, I asked "Why are you doing this? What gives you the right to do these things?"

I could almost feel the controlled anger radiating from behind me, before he managed to bring it back. _**"Simple. You and your**_ **Multiversers** _ **are relics. Byproducts of a broken system. One that needs to be destroyed."**_

"I...I don't understand," I said in confusion, wanting to know more while buying time.

 _ **"Of course you don't,"**_ the Antiverser commented, almost in a pitying tone. _**"How**_ **could** _ **you understand? When you're smack dab in the middle of it- when you're a part of the system- you can't see everything that's wrong. Take a few steps back...suddenly, you realize what a mess it all is. And you're repulsed by what you see."**_

I caught an underlying meaning to his words, and decided to play on this gamble. "You...You were a Multiverser, weren't you?"

 _ **"...Once, yes,"**_ he confirmed with venom. _**"But now, I want nothing more than to take that fucking monster down. And all who follow its orders!"**_

_'Akima?'_

_**'/All set./'** _

"Well, if you are going to do that," I began as a turret quickly shot up to our right, **"you'll have to think fast!"**

***BLAM!***

I ducked behind the tree, just in time to see the Second Antiverser get blasted with a face full of plasma. He was sent flying through the tree line, crashing through every tree until he couldn't be seen.

**(Play "Uncontrollable - Xenoblade Chronicles OST")**

With a deep sigh, I slumped onto the ground as the rest of the Team came up to me. Noticing the wound on my abdomen, Kaldur asked "What happened?"

"I fought the guy who gave Mister Twister the Negatium," I replied. "You should see what happened to him." That got a few good chuckles out of me, before I noticed someone missing. "Where's Adam?"

"He stayed behind after defeating Mister Twister," Victor answered. "Though he looked pretty bad afterwards. We're gonna need to get him some serious medical attention."

As he said this, the Second Antiverser suddenly appeared before us, his clothes only slightly singed. Cracking his neck, he took notice of everyone gathered, his body language displaying reluctance. _**"You're better than I thought, Verser. And definitely more clever than anticipated,"**_ he said with some respect. _**"Playing for time while your A.I. readied a turret. Impressive."**_

I flinched a bit when he mentioned Akima, causing a few of the Team to look at me. "Wait, you have an A.I.?" Robin asked in surprise.

 _ **"There's a lot of stuff you don't know about him,"**_ the Second Antiverser continued. _**"But those are things for him to tell. Besides, I'm done here."**_ He turned around, opening a dark portal leading to who knows where.

"Wait!" I called out. "Who are you?"

 _ **"...I lost the right to call myself by my true name upon my rebirth,"**_ he answered solemnly. _**"You may simply call me...Lucifer. And we will meet again, Michael Verser. Count on it."**_ With that said, he stepped through the portal, leaving the rest of us to stare at where he once stood.

"Lucifer, huh?" I muttered.

"Um, perhaps we should now retrieve your friend?" Kory suggested. Upon being reminded of him, we ran toward the direction of my fellow Multiverser.

And into a hell I hoped to never experience again.

* * *

**(Play "Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater Soundtrack: Snake Eater")**

**...**

**YOUNG MULTIVERSER**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**Written by:**

**Hero of the Multiverse**

**...**

**Co-Written by:**

**VindictiveDunc**

**BioshockerN7**

**...**

**Starring:**

**Michael Verser/Atlas**

**...**

**Conner Kent/Superboy**

**...**

**Dick Grayson/Robin**

**...**

**Wally West/Kid Flash**

**...**

**Kaldur'ahm/Aqualad**

**...**

**Rachel Roth/Raven**

**...**

**Koriand'r/Starfire**

**...**

**Victor Stone/Cyborg**

**...**

**Megan Morse/Miss Martian**

**...**

**Donna Troy/Wonder Girl**

**...**

**Co-Starring:**

**Akima/Lambda**

**Masamune**

**Duncan Verser/Oberon**

**...**

**Kyle Rayner/Green Lantern**

**...**

**Roy Harper/Speedy**

**John Smith/Red Tornado**

**Adam Verser/Timeshifter**

**...**

**Bromwell Stikk/Mister Twister**

**Lucifer**

**...**

**Special Guest Appearances:**

**Daniel Brickwell/Brick**

**...**

**(End "** **Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater Soundtrack: Snake Eater** **")**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, that chapter's finished. Sorry that the chapter's short, but I couldn't think of anything else to put in.
> 
> Now that there is a new Antiverser- one who is much more honorable than his boss- things are definitely going to be more interesting for Michael's adventures. Especially since Lucifer is distributing Negatium to the bad guys.
> 
> What will be the fate of Adam Verser? Tune in next time to find out.
> 
> Until then, leave a review or comment, BUT ABSOLUTELY NO FLAMES!
> 
> Hero of the Multiverse, signing out!


	5. What's On Your Mind? Nothing But Evil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd first like to give a big thanks to BioshockerN7 for helping me with this chapter. Seriously, he's the reason I was even able to start writing this one. So thanks dude, for helping me write this for the loyal fans for the first story update of my Multiverser stories for 2015. May I continue to be supported by you, my loyal fans, into a new dawn for a new year.
> 
> Now, as a word of warning: this chapter (as well as the next one) will be among the darkest so far. This being because the battle takes place within a mental realm, meant to fight off foreign invaders. The mental security system draws inspiration from the survival horror game The Evil Within, so prepare for the highly likely probability of some gruesome stuff.
> 
> And on that note, here's the disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN YOUNG JUSTICE IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM! THE SAME GOES FOR THE EVIL WITHIN! YOUNG JUSTICE IS THE PROPERTY OF BRANDON VIETTI AND GREG WEISMAN CREATED FOR CARTOON NETWORK, AND THE EVIL WITHIN IS THE PROPERTY OF TANGO GAMEWORKS!
> 
> With that out of the way, let's get on with the show...

**BGMs:**

**Raise Hell - Dorothy**

**EVIL WITHIN SONG - Into The Mind by Miracle of Sound**

**Jerry Reed - East Bound and Down**

* * *

**Happy Harbor, July 18, 19:02 EDT**

* * *

**"OH MY GOD!"** Those words summed up the sight before me rather well.

Laying out in the field was a charred figure, his black and red coat singed from an explosion. He was lying face up, revealing blackened veins and a bloody face, combined with burns that I knew were from Negatium.

Adam's breathing was ragged, his eyes blurring out of focus as I knelt next to him and checked his pulse. It was severely weakened, and was getting weaker by the minute. Looking up in fear, I said "Someone help me carry him! We've gotta get him back to base **yesterday!"**

Conner and Donna helped lift Adam up while Robin activated his comms. "Robin to Red Tornado, we need an emergency zeta tube back to Mount Justice now!"

 _ **["Understood"],**_ he replied. _**["Opening zeta tube portal now"].**_

As the words reached my ears, Conner, Donna and I were already hauling ass toward the opened portal, desperately hoping I wasn't too late.

I ignored the zeta tube's announcing our arrival as I had sped to the infirmary and laid Adam on the bed. I pulled out my communicator and called Duncan. "Come on, Dunc, pick up, pick up," I muttered in anxiety.

Hearing him pick up the phone, I could make out some sort of background music as he answered _**["S-Sorry, I can't come to the phone right now,"]**_ with a repressed chuckle. _**["Please leave a message after-"]**_

 **"I swear to GOD Duncan, if you hang up this damn phone, I will personally throw you to** _ **The Antiverser**_ **myself after shoving** _ **Samantha, Machina,**_ **AND** _ **Bright Shadow**_ **so far up your ass they stick out of your mouth!"** The results of my screaming brought silence, both to the other side of the phone and to everyone present in the cave. Regaining my composure (or as much as I could), I continued "It's Adam. He's been critically injured with a **lot** of Negatium, so cancel your date, get your ass down here as soon as possible, and help me save his life!"

Two seconds later, I heard feet slamming the ground as I turned to see Duncan heading toward me with a worried expression on his face. "What the hell happened, Michael?!" he asked/demanded. I simply stared at him and gestured to the injured Adam as Duncan's eyes widened in shock. I did nothing as he put his hands on the suit and tried to open it, knowing he knew how to open it.

At least, I thought he did. Though the fact that he flew straight into the wall in a burst of electricity sort of dispelled those hopes.

 **"X'Hal!"** Kori exclaimed in shock.

 **"Damn!"** Wally yelled as he and Megan dodged getting shocked by a stray bolt alongside myself and Kaldur.

Heading over to Duncan, I shook him enough to bring him back to consciousness. "Damn, what the hell did he do?" Duncan asked himself before he got up and checked on the patient. His eyes widened as he realized what happened. "Ah, crap."

"What is it?" Megan asked nervously.

"He's changed the security system!" he exclaimed angrily. "I can't get the suit off until I deactivate the system, and I can't treat him until I get the damn suit off!"

"Let me and Victor give it a shot," Robin offered. "Between the two of us, we can crack the system in no time at all."

"Thanks for the offer, but Adam changed it to a **mental** one," Duncan clarified. "That means you have to go into Adam's mind to deactivate the system. Almost no one knows how his mind works, either. Except..." he trailed off looking at me.

My eyes widened in surprise and horror as I realized what his silence implied. "...No," I said. "No, no, **HELL** NO!"

"Michael, you're the only one who's successfully navigated his mind," Duncan pleaded.

 **"AND DOING SO NEARLY DESTROYED** _ **MINE!"**_ I shouted as I glared at Adam, whose face was starting to look a bit black.

"What?" Megan asked in surprise.

Looking down for a moment, I asked "Remember when I said I had a previous mental experience?" After everyone nodded in the positive, I continued "Well, that experience just so happened to be with **his** mind, and the horrors within," I finished with slight disgust.

"You know it wasn't his fault," Duncan reasoned, his voice rising a bit.

"Yet he didn't do anything to stop it when it happened," I rebuked.

"But he made it so that he had to live with **him** inside his mind so you wouldn't!" Duncan defended, spitting the word "him" with disgust.

"It doesn't matter! I'm **not** going back in there, not as long as that **monster** is in there," I said, slightly shivering at the memories rising up. The rest of the Team looked to Adam with slight fear, wondering what kind of thing could be locked up in his mind that even Michael and Duncan were afraid/disgusted with it.

"Michael, if you don't go in there, Adam is going to die. And his death will be on **your** hands. Do you really want to live with the fact that you let Adam die?" Duncan asked.

Looking back at Adam, my face contorted with inner pain, knowing my answer already. "...Goddammit," I muttered. With a sigh of defeat, I said "Fine, I'll go."

"I'll go with you/I'll go with you."

I turned to see Megan and Rachel glaring at each other before turning back to me.

"We'll **both** go with you," Rachel said.

 **"No!"** I said. "Let me rephrase that: **HELL NO!"** The last thing I wanted was to let the two of them inside Adam's mind, allowing them to see what that maniac had probably done inside.

"We're more experienced with traversing minds. We can help you."

I shook my head a bit. "You have **no idea** how Adam's mind works. He has many angles- many **levels** \- of thinking. **Everything** he does is for a reason. **Everything** he says has a meaning behind it. Basically, he's **the most** secretive bastard you'll ever meet in your life," I said. Scary thing was, Adam was so secretive, that he might even give Batman a run for his money, and could give the Question a serious challenge.

"You'll all go," Duncan said with finality, "you might get it done faster."

"Duncan, you can't-"

"Look, Michael," he interrupted. "I know how you feel about this. But if you go in there alone, and if he's broken out, then you **will not** survive him again. He won't be expecting others to be with you, so Megan and Rachel will have the advantage."

"That advantage is a temporary one, and you know it!" I shot back.

"That advantage could be the difference between life and death!"

I struggled to find an argument, but came up with nothing. I knew Duncan was right, but it did absolutely nothing to alleviate my fears. "Alright!" I yelled in defeat. "They can come with. But I swear, if anything happens to them, it's on your head, Dunc!"

He nodded at that, knowing that I meant what I said.

A few minutes later, Duncan, Robin and Vic, hooked up a few headbands to Adam's suit, which connected us to his security systems. "All right Michael, once you're inside, get to the center of his mind and deactivate the suit's security system. And whatever you do, **don't** **screw** with his mind, you understand?" Duncan asked, getting a nod from me as I sat down on a bed. I looked to either side of myself to see Megan and Rachel doing the same.

"I got it."

"Well, in that case, say bye-bye to Kansas." That was the last thing I heard before my vision went black.

* * *

**(Play "Raise Hell - Dorothy")**

**Gotta raise a little hell**

The camera fades in, showing the sun rising above the planet Earth as its rays chase away the darkness.

Soon, the title fades into view.

**YOUNG MULTIVERSER**

The scene changes to show a group of silhouettes, who then scatter into different directions as an unseen enemy opens fire on them.

**Young blood, run like a river**

**Young blood, never get chained**

The camera shows a young man with dark skin, wearing a red and navy blue suit as he holds two curved handles that forms blades of water as he charges at the unseen enemy.

_**AQUALAD** _

**Young blood, heaven need a sinner**

**You can't raise hell with a saint**

Replacing him is a fair skinned young man, wearing a black t-shirt with the Superman logo emblazoned on the chest, tossing a tank at a large robot.

_**SUPERBOY** _

**Young blood, came to start a riot**

**Don't care what your old man say**

The image is replaced by one of a boy wearing a domino mask with a cape and red and black clothing, explosive projectiles in hand as he smirks.

_**ROBIN** _

**Young blood, heaven hate a sinner**

**But we're gonna raise hell anyway**

**Raise Hell**

A blur of yellow passes by, stopping to reveal a young man with fiery red hair wearing a yellow and red bodysuit as he beats a group of thieves with super speed.

_**KID FLASH** _

**Yeah**

**Raise Hell**

A green skinned girl then appeared, her eyes glowing green as she telepathically lifts a section of the ground to block a barrage of enemy fire.

_**MISS MARTIAN** _

**Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell**

The scene changes to a girl with long blonde hair and a green costume, pulling back a bow with three arrows, all fired at an unseen enemy.

_**ARTEMIS** _

**Baby, drop them bombs**

A girl with black hair and a red sleeveless jump suit soared through the air, spinning a golden lasso around as she flew onto the scene.

_**WONDER GIRL** _

**Baby, sell that soul**

Above the sea, a girl with orange skin and long red hair soars through the sky, her green eyes glowing as pink bolts of energy form in her hands.

_**STARFIRE** _

**Heaven fare thee well**

A pale skinned girl wearing a navy blue dress and cloak follows suit, wielding dark energy as she faces her opponent.

_**RAVEN** _

**Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell**

A man with dark skin, covered mostly in machinery, changes his arm into a cannon as he smirks at a group of enemies.

_**CYBORG** _

A young man wearing white and blue stands on top of a building, before pulling a hood over his head and leaping off.

**Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell**

He joins the rest of his team below, fighting a large group of enemies with little to no ease.

The unnamed young man leaps into the air, punching his foe and causing the screen to white out.

**Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell**

Fading back into focus, the group of enemies is shown defeated, with the group of young heroes standing victorious as they look towards the screen.

**(End "Raise Hell - Dorothy")**

* * *

**Chapter 5: What's On Your Mind? Nothing But Evil**

* * *

**Inside Adam's Mind...**

* * *

I woke up feeling the worst head-ache I'd had in years. Eyes blurring in and out of consciousness, I was able to tell that I was hanging upside down. Looking down (or up, maybe?) to see the floor, my eyes widened as my heartbeat sped up.

_'Shit.'_

Why did we have to wake up here?

Glancing to my left, I saw Megan and Raven in similar situations, hanging upside down and looking a bit disturbed at what they saw. "Mi-"

"Shh," I said, seeing a pair of feet stop in front of me. Said feet lead up to a pair of familiar brown trousers. Without even having to look up, I knew that the figure wore a bloodied white tank top and a spiked metal mask

Without having to get a good look at the monster before me, I knew it was him.

**The** _**fucking** _ **Sadist.**

I quickly play dead as I look from the corners of my eyes to see Megan and Raven looking okay, though the Sadist walks to the two of them, slowly dragging a hand across each of their thighs. They both shivered in fear at the touch, silently praying he would move on. Those prayers were answered as the Sadist picked a corpse near Megan, moved to another area, and started chopping it up.

 _'Oh God, I'm gonna throw up,'_ I thought.

Just from hearing Megan's breathing, I can tell she's about ready to. Rachel, however, was able to keep herself calm by taking slow, barely noticeable breaths.

The Sadist dragged the top half of a bleeding torso past us, where I saw a knife on a body across from me. I tried to swing to reach it, but I couldn't.

"Let me get that for you. It's the least I can do."

I look to my right to see what looked like Adam, though in his civvies with a sorrowful look on his face. He grabbed the knife, pulled it out, cut me down, and then proceeded to do the same to Megan and Rachel. He then turned around, showing a sad face instead of the normal "TIME IS ALWAYS ON MY SIDE" on his jacket, and disappeared in smoke.

"Raven, Megan, stay here, I'm going to get us out of here." I whispered, getting to cover on the wall, seeing the Sadist leaving the body and a set of keys to the door near us. I slowly walk toward the keys.

Come on.

Come on!

COME ON!

**YES, GOT IT!**

**(Play "EVIL WITHIN SONG - Into The Mind by Miracle of Sound")**

I quickly sneaked away and went toward the door with Megan and Raven following behind. Being careful to not make too much sound or catch any attention, we quickly crouched behind some gurneys and slowly waddled closer and closer to the door, silently cheering as we reached our destination. I slowly unlocked the door and opened it, causing it to squeak as it opened up.

"Go," I said quickly as Megan and Rachel went up the stairs.

***VVVRRRRRRRRMMMMMM!***

The revving of a chainsaw caused me to turn around, coming face to face with the Sadist. Though I couldn't see his face, I could tell he remembered me. I chuckled nervously and said "Hey there, Sadie. Long time no see, huh?"

He began to charge at us.

Narrowly dodging a swipe of the chainsaw, I kicked him back and shut the door, securing the lock. I turned around and screamed **"RUN!"** as I made my way up the stairs, catching up with Megan and Rachel.

As the Sadist slammed the door open, Megan and Raven threw out their arms to send the beast back into the room. To their shock, however, the Sadist only continued to ascend up the stairs. I grabbed the two by the hands and pulled them along with me, running like bats out of Hell.

Pushing our way past a bunch of wheelchairs, we ran down the hallway, an elevator waiting to take us to safety. I pushed Megan and Raven ahead of me, looking back to see the Sadist gaining on us.

We managed to get into the elevator, the doors slamming shut just as the chainsaw came swinging down at us. The Sadist growled in frustration as the elevator went upwards, giving us the chance to catch our breaths. Looking down at her hands, Megan softly said "My powers- our powers- they don't work in here. Why don't they work?!"

"It must be the defense system," Raven stated as she caught her breath. "It must be dampening our powers to the point we can't use them."

"Mix that with Negatium, and we might as well be fighting a sword with a twig," I solemnly noted. With a deep breath, I continued "Remind me to slap Duncan upside the head when we get out of here. Before we do anything else, though..."

***SNAP***

With a single motion, Michael ripped Raven's belt right off (accidentally taking a bit of fabric off on the side), causing her to lightly blush crimson (something Megan also did in surprise) as she exclaimed **"What are you-?!"**

"Trust me, better to have less things the Sadist can grab on you." Accepting that logic, she calmed down and removed her hooded cloak, while Megan shape-shifted her cape away and made her hair shorter.

With a resounding ***DING*** , the doors opened to reveal an empty hallway. Looking at each other, we all knew that the only way to get to the control center, was to go forward. Deeper into the madness of the system.

* * *

**Outside Adam's Mind...**

* * *

**Third Person's POV:**

* * *

"Shit, that was close," Duncan said as he leaned back, breathing a sigh of relief. The Team were currently watching Michael, Megan and Rachel's progress on a monitor, having been on the edge of their seats since the Sadist revved up his chainsaw.

"Close?!" Conner exclaimed angrily. "They were nearly **killed** back there!"

"But they weren't," Duncan defended. "They survived, and that's the good news."

Concerned, Robin asked "I hate to ask, but...what's the **bad** news?"

With a frown, Duncan answered "It's only going to get tougher on them from here on out."

"...Forget I asked."

_"Recognized: Superman, 01. Batman, 02. Wonder Woman, 03..."_

As the computer kept listing the names, the Team came face to face with Clark Kent/Superman, Bruce Wayne/Batman, Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, Barry Allen/ The Flash, Orin, J'onn J'onzz/Martian Manhunter, Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, and Dinah Laurel Lance/Black Canary. All of them not exactly looking too happy at the moment. "So," Batman started, "would someone care to explain why the security cameras showed footage of you bringing someone into Mount Justice?"

Face-palming, Vic muttered "Can't believe I forgot about the cameras..."

"I can explain, Batman," Kaldur answered. "A short time ago, an android named Mister Twister attacked the power plant. Apparently, he was hoping to draw out Red Tornado, in an attempt to reprogram him for who knows what. Instead, he ended up facing us while we were using Megan's bio-ship."

"He was a bit too much for the kids, though," Duncan continued. "Which is why Timeshifter- this guy here," he gestured to Adam's comatose form, the sight of which brought a wave of nausea through many, "stepped in and saved them, all while taking on Twister with the help of the Team. Unfortunately, Mister Twister was using an element that was extremely dangerous, and ended up self-destructing to try and take Timeshifter down with him. Didn't exactly work out for the bucket of bolts. No offense, Cyborg. Red Tornado."

"None taken/ _ **No offense taken."**_

"Well, that explains a bit," Superman said. "But not why you brought him here. Or how you know about him."

With a sigh, Duncan responded with "Timeshifter is pretty much my shadow agent. He's my eyes and ears in the world, and a good friend. Both to me, and to Michael. Kinda works, since he's our brother."

 **"Brother?!"** nearly everyone explained.

"Is there an echo in here?"

"Oberon," Batman growled.

"Sorry. Anyway, this element is pretty much my, Timeshifter's, and Michael's equivalent to Kryptonite," Duncan continued, which shocked the hell out of the League, "and it's affecting him pretty badly. Can't treat him until we get the suit off, and I can't get the suit off until the security system is deactivated."

"To make it even more difficult, it's a mental one," Robin added. "Meaning it can only be turned off from entering his mind."

"Then we should get to work right away," Martian Manhunter stated. Then the League noticed the prone forms of Michael, Raven, and Megan. With devices attached to their heads, hooked up to Adam's suit.

Connecting the dots, Dinah looked at Duncan in shock and said "You didn't..."

"...In my defense," Duncan began, "Michael's the only one who's successfully navigated his mind before. And Megan and Raven both volunteered, especially seeing as they have more experience in the mental realm."

"That doesn't change the fact that they could be in danger in there!" Superman stated.

"Would you relax, Supes? Everything is under control," Duncan calmly stated.

***PING***

"Okay, got the audio set up," Vic said. Flicking on the audio, bloodcurdling screams filled the hall as the three young heroes ran down the hallway of a slaughter house. The Sadist was right behind them, rearing back his chainsaw as he chased them into a large, rectangular room. The room had a bloody tiled floor, with a few corpses on said floor with stationary, spinning blades on both sides.

"Everything is **mostly** under control," Duncan said, still calm and not missing a beat.

* * *

**Michael's POV:**

* * *

**"AARRGH!"**

I writhed in pain as I clutched my leg, slashed at the back by the Sadist's chainsaw. Raven and Megan ran back to get me, just as the Sadist slammed his foot down on a switch and slamming the gate down behind me.

 _'I can't believe I forgot about this part!'_ I screamed to myself. After we had gotten out of the elevator, we found ourselves walking through a series of halls leading to a slaughterhouse. Seeing all of those slabs of meat hanging around filled us with a sense of unease. It didn't help that we found a human arm on one of the tables.

I think it was safe to say that Megan wasn't going to be eating any meat for a long, **long** time after this. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if she swore off meat for the rest of her life.

Just as we were making our way to one of the doors, the alarms went off, signaling that animals were about to be slaughtered. Suddenly remembering what happened next, I spun around just in time to see the Sadist rev up his chainsaw again. As he charged at us, I blocked his weapon with _Masamune_ , sparks flying as the chainsaw teeth tried to cut through the blade.

It was working pretty well, until I noticed that the fracture was becoming worse and worse, threatening to snap if the pressure kept up.

_ **'AAAAGGGHHHH!'** _

The painful screams of my Zanpakuto spirit/girlfriend weren't helping, either.

Eyes widening in realization, I jumped backwards and out of his range, accidentally knocking Raven and Megan down with me. The Sadist made his way towards us, but Megan kicked a table right at him, causing him to clutch his leg in pain as she beat his head with a slab of meat she managed to grab. Blood flew from the slab as it collided with the spiked helmet, a few drops hitting her face.

We decided to take this chance to run like hell away from him. Unfortunately, he was soon back on his feet and chasing us down, chainsaw ready to cut into us (or more specifically, **me,** seeing as I was closest to him). The chase eventually led to this very room, and to our current situation.

Realizing what was about to happen, I started limping as fast as I could to the other side, pushing Rachel and Megan in front of me. **"KEEP GOING, AND STAY IN THE MIDDLE!"**

They soon understood what I meant as the blades spun to life, and started dragging me along with them. A corpse was soon swept into the blades, blood spurting onto me as we tried desperately to stay ahead of the blades. As another corpse met a similar fate, another gate crashed down in front of us. We were trapped like pigs for slaughter.

Raven noticed the grate in front of us and rushed ahead, opening it up for us. Megan pushed me in first, sending me sliding down a blood-slicked chute. I managed to avoid two sets of spinning blades, and soon flew out of the chute and into a vat beneath. A vat filled with dark, crimson blood and human body parts. Catching my breath, I managed to fight down the urge to vomit as I wiped as much blood as I could from my face.

I was soon joined by Megan and Raven (in that order, causing more blood to splash into my face). As both came back up, coughing and hacking up the blood, both of their eyes widened in horror as they realized what they were swimming in. Looking down to her right, Megan was staring into the dead face of a young woman, face distorted in agony.

That was apparently the last straw for her, as Megan finally threw up into the vat. Breathing heavily and coughing, tears formed in her eyes as she waded to the ladder. Rachel wasn't looking much better, though she was succeeding in keeping her lunch down at least.

**(End "EVIL WITHIN SONG - Into The Mind by Miracle of Sound")**

* * *

After getting out, we made our way to a nearby sink, washing as much blood off as we could. While Rachel used her power to heal my injury, I decided to talk with Akima and Masamune. _'How bad is it?'_ I asked.

 _ **'/Pretty bad,/'**_ Akima answered. _**'/Whatever's happening in here, it's definitely having a negative effect on Ma-chan. That attack shouldn't have been able to even**_ **crack** _ **her blade, let alone leave a**_ **scratch** _ **on her./'**_

 _ **' It must be the Negatium,'**_ Masamune deduced. _**' It must be so potent that it's affecting me even in the mental realm.'**_

I sighed. _'Fucking perfect. So now I not only have to worry about keeping us alive,_ _ **and**_ _saving Adam,_ _ **AND**_ _surviving the horrors Adam has stored in here, but I also have to worry that my girlfriend could die at any moment?!'_

Though no one could see it, I could see and feel the astral projection of Masamune as she leaned down, stroking my cheek as she brought my worried gaze to hers. _**' Look, I know this probably won't help, but you can't worry about me right now.'**_

Eyes widening, I thought _'What are you-?!'_

 _ **'Listen!'**_ she sternly said. _**' You have a kind heart, Michael. You care about others, and would put their own well-being above your own. It's one of the things I love about you, and it's one of the things that made me- and a few others- fall for you. But you have to remember that I'm not a helpless person. I was your tool first and foremost. I was meant to act as your weapon to be used as you see fit.**_

_**'This is a situation where you have to remember that fact. In this hell of a world, you can't hesitate to use all your weapons at your disposal. I am your sword, your partner. Against these foes, you must use me as such if you want any of us to have a chance at surviving. So for all our sake, nut the hell up, and start using me as a sword so I can protect us! '** _

I couldn't help but owlishly blink at her words. Chuckling, I thought _'Jeez, how did I become so whipped that my own Zanpakuto is talking me down?'_

 _ **'/That's the power of love, baby,/'**_ Akima replied. _**'/And sex. Can't forget about that./'**_

_'Quite.'_

_**' So, while you mull over that, I suggest talking with Megan,'**_ Masamune said. _**' God knows she needs someone right now.'**_

As she faded out, I turned my attention to Megan, who was propping herself up against the wall, arms wrapped around herself as she shivered. Walking as best I could over to her, I asked "You...you wanna talk about it?"

"...What kind of monster has a mind like this?" she asked softly, but loud enough for us to hear.

Sighing, I responded "Only one. And he's trapped in here with us."

"This the person you and Oberon were talking about?" Raven asked as she finished washing the blood out of her hair.

I nodded. "The very same. I just pray you never meet him. Especially since he changed the system this much." That got both of their attention. "This person, he's a master of the mind. No, a force of nature is more accurate. Adam and I ran into him a few years ago, where we got a good taste of his powers firsthand. What we experienced...I wouldn't even wish on my worst enemy."

"And you came back in here?!"

Looking at the half-demoness, I said "Yeah. Because he's right: if I don't shut off this system, then Adam dies. And I won't let that happen if I can help it."

Raven simply stared in wonder at the person before her. She was genuinely surprised that I would willingly open myself up to this kind of Hell once again, all to save someone. I can chalk that up to the influence Peter has over me. Nevertheless, every word I said was my own.

After a few minutes of rest, we started to head out. I noticed Megan was still standing by the wall, shivering in fear at what lay ahead. Walking up to her, I softly cupped her chin and brought her gaze to mine, saying "I promise, Megan. As long as I draw breath, I won't let anyone hurt either you, or Raven. And I never go back on my word."

That seemed to calm her down a bit, as she softly (albeit weakly) smiled and said "Okay." With a nod, we continued onward, though for some reason Raven was frowning a little bit (which seemed to confuse her as much as it did me).

* * *

**A few minutes later...**

* * *

"Why did we have to come here?" Megan asked as we walked into what looked like a kitchen. There wasn't that much to it, except for one odd addition. That addition being a locker.

My eyes widened in recognition. _'Wait a minute-'_

***BANG***

The three of us spun around to see the Sadist having just broken down a door. "Quick you two, get in the locker!" I whispered as I opened the locker and pushed them inside before getting in myself. Taking short breaths to try and calm down, I realized that I was stuck in a locker with two attractive women-

_**'NO! BAD MICHAEL! NOW IS** _ **NOT** _**THE TIME FOR THIS!'** _

***BANG***

The door we had previously opened went flying to the other side as the Sadist walked inside. He started walking around the room, swinging his chainsaw around as I felt Megan's hands grab mine tightly.

Suddenly, he stopped, turned around and stared at our hiding spot. We held our breaths as I felt my heartbeat dramatically increase, sweat pouring down my forehead as I silently prayed that he left. What happened next showed no one was listening to said prayers.

The Sadist started walking toward us.

No.

**No!**

**NO!**

"My name is Adam D. Verser, and I...hate... **TAXES!"**

_'Wait. Was that...?'_

The Sadist looked toward the door we were going to open before charging right through it. **"Woohoo! Come on baby! Let's go!"** I heard Adam shout with a bit too much anger in his tone. A large ruckus followed soon after, obvious sounds of struggling coming from the fight.

_'Oh God. Don't tell me we're meeting Anger.'_

I slowly opened the locker as we climbed out, and when I peeked through the door, my mind went blank at what I was seeing. Megan and Raven followed my example soon after.

Adam, with an angry look on his face, was slamming the Sadist's head onto a hospital bed. Blood was flying from the spiked helmet with each hit. If I had a camera- and if I didn't just nearly have a heart attack- I'd actually be recording this.

He then turned his head toward us as he slammed the Sadist's head one more time. "The hell are you waiting for, a freaking invitation?! **GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!"** he yelled as he started running.

We immediately followed him as he vaulted over a table toward an elevator. Megan climbed over it, followed by Rachel then me as I heard a roar. I turned my head to see the Sadist charging toward us. Blood continued to run from the helmet, spurting more violently from his rage at us.

"Hey jackass! Hurry up!"

Focusing myself, I sprinted as hard as I could toward the elevator as Anger grabbed me and pulled me in, slamming me into the wall in the process as he closed the elevator.

"You sure took your sweet time," Anger said as I glared at him.

"Hey, shut up asshole. You're not the one who's been chased by that guy!" I shouted as his face didn't change a bit.

"What monster would do this?" Megan asked, tears in her eyes.

Anger then turned his head slowly toward her and grabbed her shoulders. "One who will show **no mercy.** That little "No Kill" policy you have? He doesn't give a **FUCK** about that. So let me tell you something girl: **SHOW NO MERCY TOWARD HIM.** In this world, it's do or die, so if you're too chicken shit to fight someone like that monster, **THEN WHAT THE** **HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"** he shouted, making her flinch as her eyes grew wider with fear.

I couldn't take it. Walking up to him, I punched him in the face, knocking his shades off and twisting his head back. **"SHUT THE FUCK UP, OKAY? SHE DOESN'T NEED TO BE TRAUMATIZED ANY FURTHER! AND DON'T YOU TALK TO HER ABOUT NOT HAVING WHAT IT TAKES, SINCE** _ **YOU**_ **DIDN'T HELP** _ **ME!"**_ I shouted.

He turned to look at me, his eyes blood red. "Take a look around, Mikey. You might be surprised at what you find," he said before vanishing in smoke.

I then heard a ***DING*** as the elevator opened, revealing a hallway. As we started walking, my leg now felt normal, as if it wasn't recently cut. Turning to face Megan, I said "I'm sorry about that. Anger was always a complete asshole."

"That doesn't begin to describe him," Raven growled out. "When we get out of here, remind me to hit Adam upside the head, would you?"

"Remind you? I'm joining in with you!" Even in her traumatized state, Megan found it in herself to laugh a bit alongside us. That moment passed, and we walked together in an uncomfortable silence. Turning to look at her, I saw Megan was on the verge of tears again. "What's wrong?"

"...I never should've come here," she said. "I thought that my mental powers would prepare me for anything. This is...my powers are useless, I'm too terrified of that...monster, to do anything but run..." Tears rolled down her cheeks as she crumpled to the floor. "He's right. What am I even doing here?"

My heart clenched as she spoke. I could understand what she was going through; I mean, despite her prowess in her mental powers, she was still a sweet, innocent girl. I knelt down and helped pick her up as I said "Now you listen, Megan. You came along because of who you are: a good person. Someone who's willing to help others, even if it means putting yourself in the line of fire. I'll admit, not always the brightest move-"

{You're one to talk.}

_'Not now, Sterling!'_

"-but it's something that makes you, you. The kind, caring girl I met a week ago. You're stronger than you think, Megan. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise."

As I spoke, Megan managed to cease her tears. Wiping her eyes, she smiled and nodded a bit, finding a bit more strength to continue on. Raven, on the other hand, continued to be more and more surprised by me. Normally, she would've suggested disconnecting Megan from the link and getting her out before anything could happen to her. But a few words from me, and she gained the resolve to fight on. Something that I noticed gave her a bit of respect in me for.

* * *

Suddenly, the whole building started shaking. Debris started falling as cracks formed everywhere.

"Ah, crap. **RUN!"** I shouted as I sprinted toward the door, followed by Megan and Rachel. I pushed the door open, speeding by a room full of dead bodies. The floor cracked beneath us, corpses falling into the abyss as we charged towards the door.

I then barged through the door as I saw a city currently being destroyed. Looking around for anything we could use, I saw a red Lamborghini with black stripes pull up as the door opened up to show Adam, wearing a yellow smiley face shirt underneath his jacket with a cheerful look on his face.

**(Play "Jerry Reed - East Bound and Down")**

"Hey Mikey! How you doing? Come on, get in!" he said in an extremely happy voice.

 _'Oh God, not_ _ **this**_ _one,'_ I mentally groaned. Happy, someone who's continuously...well, **happy,** even in situations that don't exactly call for it. Like right now, for example. Still, he had a ride, and I wasn't going to complain about that.

Well, except for one thing. "Dude, there's only **two** seats!" I pointed out.

"Easy solution, you know!" he said as I stood there for a second before realizing what he meant.

"Ugh, I'm gonna regret this," I said to myself as I climbed in before motioning to Rachel and Megan. "You two are gonna have to sit on our laps," I said with a blush on my face while refusing to look at them.

Then I felt someone sit on me. I looked up to see Raven holding onto me for dear life, while Megan sat on Happy's lap with an uncomfortable look on her face. "Hold on your butts, people, because this ride ain't making **any** stops!" Happy said before the car sped up to inhuman speeds.

Despite being an insane driver, Happy at least managed to keep us from crashing into any of the shifting buildings. The crazy bastard even managed to **drive along the side of a building,** narrowly avoiding being crushed by another incoming building.

"Happy, how the hell do we get the center of your mind?!" I asked/yelled as he continuously laughed as he weaved through traffic.

"Dude, you gotta go through several stages."

"What?" Megan asked. "What do you mean by 'stages?'"

"Simple: there are a few separate areas between here and the control center," he cheerfully explained. "You've gotta fight the guardians of each stage to continue. Once you're done with that, you're good to go!"

Groaning, I asked "Are there any shortcuts?"

"Just one," he answered, "but you're not gonna like it." Another near crash avoided as he swerved out of the way, Megan's grip tightening around my neck. "In more ways than one."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"What it means," he responded to Raven with a large smile, "is that if you take that route, you're gonna have to face all of the guardians at once. Ain't that a bitch?"

Masamune groaned at that. _**'Nothing's ever easy, is it?'**_

Sighing a bit, I thought back _'Masamune-chan, since when is_ _ **anything**_ _we do easy?'_

In any other circumstance, I'd go with the first option over the shortcut. However, we were pressed for time. Looking at Raven and Megan, they both nodded, allowing me to respond "That's a chance we'll have to take, Happy. Use the shortcut!"

With a massive grin, he turned right and went through a subway tunnel, driving right through a huge hole in the wall. "You're ballsy, I'll give ya that. Here's hoping you can survive. Well, that's my cue to go, bye!" he said as he disappeared in smoke.

"Wait, what?"

We then came to the end of the tunnel, and came out into the middle of a waterfall.

The three of us starred with wide eyes at the sight before us, before saying in one voice **"DAMMIT, ADAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMM!"  
**

**(End "Jerry Reed - East Bound and Down")**

* * *

**Third Person's POV:**

* * *

**Unknown Area...**

* * *

Deep within the recesses of Adam's mind, there was a room. Large in scale, there was no sign of a wall or ceiling at the moment. The entire area was dark. Cold. Eerie, lit only by the green glow of the giant metal door and the glass window built into it. The massive room was empty, barren of life.

Save for one.

Sitting on a set of stairs leading to the door, a cloaked, hooded figure remained. Arms resting against the knees, the figure waited...and looked up.

 **"...They're coming,"** the figure spoke, voice demonic and slightly reverberating. **"Three of them."**

"Of course they are," a voice spoke in the darkness. "With the state of being Adam's in, this is the only way to get him out of the suit."

Scoffing, the figure said **"Well, took 'em long enough. I was starting to think they'd never get here...still...to think that he'd show up here again..."**

"Indeed. I would've thought he'd stay away from Adam's mind after his last encounter with us. It doesn't matter, though. Do with him what you like, so long as you keep him and his friends busy."

 **"Oh, you can bet they'll be busy,"** he spoke with dark glee. **"Good luck."**

"You as well." And like that, the voice was gone.

A slow, dark cackle came from the figure. The stairs cracked from the killer intent, a dark substance flickering around him as he whispered two words:

**"Michael...Verser..."**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, the journey down into the depths of Adam's mind continues. Unfortunately for our heroes, things are only going to get worse before they get better. Still, with all of the shit that they've encountered so far, one has to wonder...what kind of horrors will they see once they reach the center? Especially with this mysterious new enemy, waiting for our heroes in the depths of Adam's mind?
> 
> A big thanks to BioshockerN7 for his help. Without him, I wouldn't have gotten this chapter (or the next one) done at all.
> 
> Until next time, please leave a review or comment, BUT NO FLAMES!
> 
> Hero of the Multiverse, signing off!


	6. Inner Demons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, not much to say, here. Basically, this is a continuation of the last chapter. As well as perhaps one of the darkest moments in Michael Verser's tale in the world of Young Justice (so far). That said, I'm just gonna get right on into the tale.
> 
> This chapter will also be introducing Michael's greatest foe to date. Possibly even worse than The Antiverser.
> 
> Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN YOUNG JUSTICE IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM! THE SAME GOES FOR THE EVIL WITHIN! YOUNG JUSTICE IS THE PROPERTY OF BRANDON VIETTI AND GREG WEISMAN CREATED FOR CARTOON NETWORK, AND THE EVIL WITHIN IS THE PROPERTY OF TANGO GAMEWORKS!
> 
> Now, with that out of the way, let's begin...

**BGMs** **:**

**The Living Tombstone - Five Nights at Freddy's 2 - It's Been So Long**

**Animal I Have Become – Three Days Grace**

**Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance OST - A Stranger I Remain Extended**

**Natsuhiboshi Sumaru's Lullaby with lyrics**

**Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater Soundtrack: Snake Eater**

* * *

**Michael's POV:**

* * *

My eyes fluttered open, bleary with dizziness. As they came into focus, I noticed we were surrounded by darkness (though somewhat illuminated), the sounds of dripping water and the smell of smoke filling my senses. I turned to my right and found the source of the smoke: the Lamborghini was totaled.

If this were a real one, someone's probably want to sue me right about now.

Then I took notice of the rest of our surroundings. We were in the middle of a large cave, the only source of light coming from glowing algae found in several spots on the walls. "A cave?" I said to myself. "The shortcut is a cave? I don't know whether or not to be disappointed that there's nothing-"

"Um, Michael?" Turning around, I found Megan and Raven looking up at something. That something being a big ass door. Intricately designed, it had a carving of a gigantic version of Adam in his Multiverser outfit, different people writhing in agony on one side (his enemies) while those on the other side were prospering (his friends/family/loved ones). "I think we found the entrance," Raven continued.

"...Yes. Yes we did," I replied, dragging my hand down my face.

"Any idea on how to open it?" asked Megan.

"Only one," I replied.

Walking up to the door, I placed my hand on it and channeled my Multiverser power through the locks. With several clanking gears rotating and a resounding ***CRRREEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKK*** , the door slowly slide open, dust falling from the mechanism.

Noticing their shocked faces, I explained "He encoded the doors to respond to either myself, Duncan, himself, myself, or our two other siblings."

* * *

**Outside Adam's mind...**

* * *

The rest of the League and the Team looked at Duncan with a noticeable twitch in their eyes. The thought of there being others like Duncan and Michael out there was a bit of an annoying idea to take hold of (especially for certain members of the League).

"So, anyone **else** in your family we should be made aware of?" Green Arrow asked.

"Oh hey, they're in the control center," Duncan immediately replied, completely ignoring the archer's question. He smirked as he noticed said archer clenching his hands in a throttling manner, obviously imagining it was Duncan he was doing it to.

* * *

**Inside Adam's mind...**

* * *

"...You know, the thought of others like Duncan somewhat disturbs me," Raven stated in a deadpan tone.

"Join the club," I sighed. "Pretty sure the membership list is a couple light years long."

The three of us walked through the doors and into the control center. It was just as I remembered it the last time I was here: about as big as the main room in Mount Justice, the room contained a central console with holographic screens around the device. In front of the console was a large door, circular in shape with a single, eerie green window, completely sealed shut.

"What is that?" Megan asked in awe and slight fear.

"The Void," I responded. "Adam's most secure part of his mind. It's basically a prison, designed so that once someone goes in, the only way they get out is if Adam **voluntarily** lets them out. And considering the occupants housed in there...highly unlikely."

The two of them shivered a bit at that, wondering what kind of monsters Adam kept sealed behind that door.

* * *

**Outside Adam's mind...**

* * *

That was a thought Batman was having as well. Ever since learning of the existence of Adam from Duncan, he's been a bit cautious about the comatose man. That unease grew once Duncan explained more about him, and how his mind worked. He even explained what he based his system off of, and why he did it: "He probably made it so that if anyone he didn't trust managed to get inside, they'd most likely be driven mad by the experience before they could even reach the end."

Batman was actually rather impressed by the design of the system, but still focused on the other aspects of Duncan's brother. The man was a psychopath in the making. He had a monster trapped in his mind. His security system was a psychopath's dream come true.

These practically set of a fireworks show's worth of warning bells in his head, and forced him to start thinking up ways of how he could neutralize him if he ever went rogue. If he could only get a sample of the "kryptonite" for this person.

Duncan, meanwhile, was focusing on something said:

_'Occupants? But there's only supposed to be_ _**one** _ _person trapped in there.'_

* * *

**Inside Adam's mind...**

* * *

"So we should probably try **not** to open that up by accident," I continued.

"Yeah," Raven nodded.

"Definitely," Megan agreed.

We then turned our attention to the control center, looking at the separate screens to find a way to unlock the suit. "Michael, what's this?" Megan asked as she pointed to a terminal that showed footage of Adam.

"Our memories."

The three of us spun around to see Adam with a neutral look on his face, wearing a simple grey version of his attire. Underneath his coat, there was a shirt with one half black, and one half white. He gave off an air of cold professionalism.

 _'I don't think I've met this one before,'_ I thought to myself.

"Okay, we don't have time for this. Which one are you?" Rachel asked, while I felt Megan get behind me.

He simply shrugged. "Neutrality," he replied in an uncaring voice.

_'Huh. The uncaring side of Adam. I guess everyone has one.'_

"So what, are you the reason I nearly went insane last time?" I asked sarcastically.

"You believe we didn't try to help you? Well take a look at our memories," he said. As he said that, I suddenly remembered Duncan's advice:

 _ **"Don't**_ _ **screw**_ _with his_ _mind."_

But from the way Neutrality said it, he seems to have a different view of what happened. As the screen played the recording, I was treated to a familiar sight as I remembered the words Anger spoke earlier:

_"Take a look around, Mikey. You might be surprised at what you find."  
_

* * *

**Chapter 6: Inner Demons**

* * *

**Third Person's POV:**

* * *

**(Play "The Living Tombstone - Five Nights at Freddy's 2 - It's Been So Long")**

_The screen began to play, beginning in the control room. Michael and Adam were standing side by side, glaring at a mysterious figure dressed in a tattered white hooded coat while they breathed heavily. Suddenly, the duo were thrown to opposite ends of the room, too stunned to do anything except try to get up._

_Shifting to Adam's point of view, the figure responsible was blurred from the recording, shadows surrounding him as he made his way towards Michael. Though his body was hidden, one could tell he was shifting his head as he gazed at the downed Multiverser. "You have potential," the figure's voice said to Michael. "Let's see how much."_

_**"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!"** _

_Suddenly, Michael was screaming bloody murder, writhing in pain. He clutched his head, wanting the pain to end._ _**"MIKEY!"** _ _Adam screamed as he ran toward him, but was frozen in place. The figure turned his attention back to Adam, then flung his body back to the wall._

_"I don't think so," the figure said as it raised a hand and sent the shadows at Michael, surrounding him in a black dome. Adam made a dash for Michael, intent on freeing him. Unfortunately, the shadows then cut him off, opening a dark portal that Adam couldn't stop himself from going through in time._

_He then found himself surrounded by blackness, which soon dissolved into a darkened living room. Adam's living room. Suddenly, dead bodies appeared in a flash of lightning, blood covering the walls and coating their faces beyond recognition. But Adam knew who these people were._

_His loved ones, family and friends. Torn to pieces and covered in each other's bloody remains._

_"No...NO._ _**NOOOOOO!"** _ _he cried in horror. He ran out of the room, going through the front door as he saw two figures in the middle of the street, one standing over the other, with the other appearing beaten up. Collapsing, he recognized the one on the ground as Duncan, while to his horror, the other person was himself._

_Sporting a savage grin on his face, the other Adam began to carve a smiley face onto Duncan's already beaten face, ignoring his cries of agony before he tossed him to the ground. Adam nearly threw up at the sight, and stumbled backwards in terror at the sight of the other Adam: his eyes were completely blood red, and sported the smile of a deranged lunatic._

_Adam shook his head and started crawling backwards even further._

_He then hit a tree. "No. No. No," he muttered, crawling into a fetal position._

_"So that's what you're afraid of? Losing your humanity?" the figure asked with a bit of disappointment. "Well, once you're dead, you won't have to worry about that. Now then, let's see if I can't get out of this place," he continued, vanishing from sight as the evil Adam smiled gleefully._

_The evil Adam raised a carving knife, making his way toward Adam as he stumbled up and ran away, the streets completely dark except for the lamp lights hanging overhead. Turning back, Evil Adam was already on him, slashing his knife and cutting him across the back._

_The two figures struggled against each other, the knife threatening to come down and stab Adam in the face. Summoning all his strength, he kicked the Evil Adam off of him, and then bit down on his lip hard enough to draw blood._

_He found himself back in the room, Michael standing by the console as he breathed heavily. The doors to the Void slammed shut, with the figure nowhere to be seen._

_Looking back at Adam, Michael scowled at him and sarcastically said "Thanks for the help."_

**(End "The Living Tombstone - Five Nights at Freddy's 2 - It's Been So Long")**

* * *

**Michael's POV:**

* * *

I stared at the screen, unable to move from that spot. Megan stared at the screen in horror, while Raven had a disturbed look on her face. Neutrality walked up to me and said "Things aren't always what they seem, Michael. Do well to remember that. The code is 19-08-01-04-15-23, by the way." With that, he disappeared from sight.

I just kept standing there, trying to process what I just saw. The fight was still how it happened, but from when the shadows surrounded me...Adam was gone. He didn't help me. I had to fight those monsters and throw them into the Void by myself.

But according to Adam's memories, he actually **did** try to help me. He tried, and he failed. At least, that's how he remembers it. But who's right, and who's wrong?

 _'This doesn't make any sense,'_ I thought to myself. _'This is...none of this...I...'_

"Michael?" Turning to face Megan, she had a concerned look on her face as she placed a hand on mine.

"Sorry," I said. "This is...this is just a lot to take in. That's not at all how I remembered what happened."

"You were obviously under a lot of pressure and duress," Raven said placatingly. "There were bound to have been things that you missed."

I sighed, rubbing the back of my head. "Either way, I owe Adam a serious apology when we get out of here. **After** I slug him for being careless enough to get hit by a Negatium bomb."

_**"Not that you'll get the chance, I'm afraid."** _

We whirled around, only to find no one there. There didn't seem to be anyone around in this room other than the three of us.

_**"Man, after all this time, to think I'd luck out and get some practice dummies to work out on. This is just turning out to be the best day** _ **ever!"**

"Who's there?!" Megan called out. "Show yourself!"

Suddenly, a figure walked into view in front of the Void entrance. He was completely covered in black robes, not even his face showing. The fact that he was standing in front of the light in the window only helped make him more menacing.

"Who the heck is he supposed to be?" Raven asked.

 _ **"That's He with a capital 'H' to you, sexy,"**_ the figure replied.

Slumping, I groaned "Great. A punk with an ego."

 _ **"Sticks and stones, ya punk ass bitch,"**_ the figure taunted. _**"Sticks, and stones."**_

 **"HEY!"** I cried out. "I am a **fuck-mothering ass-kicker.** I have been through a lot of shit, and kicked a lot of wholesale ass in my life to earn that title, and I'd prefer if you referred to me as such." Megan and Rachel couldn't help but sweatdrop a bit at my little comedic tirade, while everyone in Mount Justice either did the same, face-palmed, or nodded in approval (three guesses which one did that).

 _ **"Fair enough,"**_ the figure shrugged. _**"Though it doesn't matter what you call yourself. Seeing as you and your whores are going to die here."**_

All traces of mirth disappeared from my face as he said that, causing me to give him a cold glare. I was about to charge in, when Rachel put her hand on my shoulder, calming me down enough to **not** go charging in like an idiot. Drawing _Masamune_ and pointing the blade at him, I said "You really think you can take us on?"

Scoffing, he replied _**"I kicked your ass once, Niño. I can do it again."**_

I raised an eyebrow. "Again?" the three of us asked.

_**"That's right. Or do you obviously not remember the last time you were in here?"** _

Now both of my eyebrows shot up, my pupils dilating as my breath hitched. I felt my heart speed up, an image overlapping over the figure. A ghost I never wanted to see ever again.

 **"Michael,"** Masamune whispered, soft enough so that only I could hear here. **" You...You don't think that's...** **"**

_'...No..._

_'It can't be..._

_'Not_ _**him!'** _

_**"Or the fact that you threw me in-"** _

***BANG***

***BANG***

***BANG***

As soon as he said "threw," I pulled out _Avalon_ and fired three rounds: two in the chest, one in the head. Unfortunately, the shots seemed to disintegrate upon contact, leaving small wisps of smoke a few inches where they should've hit. Before he could even react, I drew _Masamune_ out and charged forward, swinging at the man with all my might...

***KRAAANNNNG***

...only to watch in horror as he blocked the strike with a sword he materialized in one hand from thin air. The sword in question was a zweihandler, the blade as red as the morning sun. The handle, a deep crimson, had a demonic appearance, with the guard appearing as two large, black bat wings. In the middle of the guard was a carving of a human skull, with rubies in both eye sockets.

The sword forced me to jump away, just as he swung it in my direction. _**"Or the fact that you threw me into the Void?"**_ he continued, as though I didn't just try to attack him.

Megan and Raven were too stunned to do anything, a result of the repulsive aura the figure was now emitting. They could barely breathe, with the aura being so vile, so filled with malice and cruelty. Raven was experiencing it the worst, though, as it was stirring up her demonic half, leaving her having to fight her emotions back.

My hands trembled, _Masamune_ continuing to crack from the collision of the blades. I was starting to break into a sweat, my breathing shortening and my heartbeat escalating as I looked at the figure's weapon.

It really **was** him.

Noticing my appearance, the figure asked _**"What's the matter, Michael?"**_ As he said this, the cloak slowly dissolved into shadows, revealing his true appearance: he wore a hooded crimson leather jacket, with small, silver spikes on both shoulders. He had on dark red and black body armor beneath the jacket, with a demonic face etched into the chest. He had tattered red jeans with padding (meant for both protection and intimidation), with bloody red combat boots and a combat knife tied to his left boot. His half-gloved hands clenched menacingly, one hand still holding the zweihandler.

But what truly made my blood run cold in fear was his face. His grinning, cruel, pale-skinned face with prominent fangs, pointed ears, framed by shaggy Auburn hair (almost crimson in color), and sclera burning a bright, demonic red with sickeningly yellow irises. _**"You look like you've seen a ghost. Or a doppelganger."**_

Take the eyes away, and it was still his face.

It was still **my** face.

* * *

**Third Person's POV:**

* * *

Megan and Raven's eyes widened in shock at the sight before them. The menacing figure, made even more menacing with his appearance, had the same face as Michael. It may have been twisted, made into a crueler visage, giving the appearance of a demon in human form. But it was still the face of Michael they were looking at.

This made Michael shiver in fear, unable to truly believe that this truly was who he hoped it wasn't. The figure reveled in Michael's fear, evident by his cruel smirk. Noticing the shock plastered on the two heroines, he asked _**"I suppose you want the story behind me, huh? Well, since you're all gonna die here, I might as well entertain you lot.**_

_**"You see, some time ago, Michael came across an entity. A soul pitch black, cruel and callous, dark in mind. A true incarnation of pure monstrosity. And Michael- dumb ass that he was back then- had the balls to try and challenge him, as the entity wanted nothing but to destroy. Now seeing as he was more inexperienced at the time, Michael lost, and was forced to run with his tail between his legs. Como una perra. But it's what happened** _ **during** _**the fight that's important!** _

_**"He became afraid of this entity. He became afraid of being killed by this entity. So afraid, that he nearly went**_ **insane** _ **from fear!"**_ He chuckled at that, causing Michael to grind his teeth as he glared at the sadist in front of him. Ignoring it, the figure continued _**"Now in great times of stress, the human mind sometimes fragments itself in order to protect itself. And that's exactly what Michael did: he had to break a piece of his mind off, in order to stay alive long enough to get away from the entity and escape. When he got out, he managed to fix his mind and move on. But the damage was done, as that piece was corrupted by the dark influenced of the world Michael was in.**_

_**"That piece was still corrupted, becoming equivalent to a darkness within Michael. A darkness that saw his potential, potential that was wasted with his heroics! So it began to grow, become stronger, amplify its power. And when he nearly went insane in here last time? That's when he came face to face with his other side...his evil incarnate.** _

_**"Naturally, as he was good and the other evil, they fought each other. And the evil was intent on ending the son of a bitch."**_ Frowning, he continued _ **"And the evil side would've succeeded, too, if Michael didn't end up cheating like a pussy. I mean, granted, the evil would've done the same thing, but what kind of mierda was that?!"**_

It didn't take a telepath to see that the figure was insane, especially from his continued ranting. So insane, that he would literally kill them all without so much as a sign of warning, and would enjoy doing so. Megan just wanted to get the hell away from him, Rachel wanted to cast this person into the Heart of Evil, and Michael simply wanted to kill the monster.

 _ **"Getting back on track,"**_ the monster continued as he calmed down. Sporting a grin, he began to chuckle, saying _**"Even with all his help, el tonto here was unable to kill his evil half. You know, seeing as it was more powerful than he first thought. And he couldn't keep him around, so Michael did the next best thing, in his opinion."**_ Now full on laughing, the figure exclaimed _ **"He fucking**_ **broke** _ **himself! That's right, boys and girls, Michael**_ **broke his own mind,** _ **all to get rid of his evil!"**_

That got the two to look at Michael in shock as the figure continued to laugh. Michael had always seemed one of the more normal of the Team; friendly, wise cracking, though possibly a tad on the unbalanced side (which he weakly blames on Duncan). But to have discovered that he broke himself in order to win a fight...one had to wonder just how broken he was now.

* * *

The Team, the League and Duncan had thoughts of a similar nature. The knowledge that Michael had broken himself cast a whole new light on him.

Duncan in particular looked at Michael in sorrow, as he and Michael knew that Duncan was a broken individual, putting on a mask of normalcy to put his friends and loved ones at ease. This is why it hurt him the most that the person he called a student, a friend, and a brother had broken himself, to an extent that he didn't know how great.

* * *

The figure then scowled at Michael as his laughter died. _ **"It was hilarious...right up until he ripped me out of his skull- causing himself a great amount of pain- and threw me inside the Void, just as the doors were closing. Leaving me to float around in there. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT IT IS LIKE, WANDERING IN A VOID OF NOTHINGNESS?! NOT HAVING TO EAT OR DRINK! OR SLEEP! JUST TO EXIST?! FOR A TIME I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER, THAT WAS THE HELL MICHAEL VERSER PUT ME THROUGH!"**_

The three of them backed up a bit as the figure- the incarnation of Michael's evil- suddenly burst out screaming at them. Michael started to worry a bit now. His evil side was always sadistic, but it seemed that he had become even more dangerous now than before. And that was not something he particularly liked. Madness and evil were never a good combination.

 _ **"I wandered in that hellhole for God knows how long,"**_ the Evil continued, pointing his zweihandler at Michael, _**"wanting nothing more than revenge for what you did to me. And now, here you are: powerless. Defenseless. Ready to finally die by my hands. THE HANDS OF**_ **SATAN VERSER!"** With those words, he leaped forward, rearing his zweihandler back as he flew right towards Michael.

**(Play "Three Days Grace - Animal I Have Become")**

***KRA-BOOM***

Michael jumped out of the way, barely dodging the strike as it broke the floor he was standing on mere seconds ago. Satan, meanwhile, was grinning like a madman, saying _**"Oh, it feels so good to be able to truly stretch my limbs after so long. Now come on!**_ **Pesadilla del Diablo** _ **craves for your blood, cabrón!"**_

Wedging the sword out, he tried to take another swing at Michael, only to be thrown back by an invisible force. Michael turned around to find Megan with her arms stretched out, her eyes glowing green from the use of her powers. It was obviously rather difficult for her, seeing as she was breaking a sweat just by concentrating enough to use them. Eyes returning to normal, Megan said "If you want Michael..."

Rachel stepped up next to her, her own powers flaring up as she continued "You'll have to deal with us as well."

Satan only chuckled at that. _ **"Gladly,"**_ was all he said, just as he snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, two large shadows appeared on either side of him, easily towering over him by a few feet. The shadow on the left then began to light up, until it became a sneering, shadowy figure surrounded by flames and cinders. It turned its sights on Megan, causing her to step back as she shivered, eyes slightly widened in fear.

The shadow on the right, meanwhile, shifted into a more humanoid form. Taking on a feminine appearance, it was covered in an ink black cloak, a hood covering its face. It then showed its face, which was that of Raven. The only difference, was that the shadow had four, glowing red eyes and light red skin. Said eyes were pinned directly at Raven, wearing a savage grin as Raven struggled to maintain her calm appearance.

 _ **"Now its three on three,"**_ Satan drawled. Gripping _Pesadilla del Diablo_ with both hands, he continued _**"So let's get this party started, shall we?!"**_ The three demonic figures charged us, forcing us to separate to different areas of the room.

The burning shadow immediately began to assault Megan, hurling a few fireballs at the young white Martian. She instantly recoiled in fear, jumping out of the path of the last one. She phased through the floor, causing the shade to search the area for her, not noticing that she was right above it until she brought down upon the figure.

She gave a sigh of relief, thinking it was over. Those thoughts were instantly quashed as the shade burned through the rubble, glaring at her as it formed a flaming sword out of its right arm.

 _ **"Come on, little Martian,"**_ the burning shadow drawled, its voice similar to that of a psychopath. _**"It's just a little flame. Nothing to be SCARED OF!"**_ It slashed at her, creating a large arc of fire that nearly burned her, had she not dropped from the ceiling before impact.

Megan landed right in front of the burning shadow, who smiled evilly at her as he reached down, grabbing hold of both her arms. The searing pain that followed caused her to scream at the top of her lungs, tears forming in her eyes as the shadow laughed at her pain.

Michael and Satan, meanwhile, were by the entrance to the Void. _Pesadilla del Diablo_ colliding violently and forcefully against _Masamune,_ sparks flying as the blade's edges scraped against each other. Gritting his teeth, Michael pushed back to gain some distance, only to stop as he head Megan scream in pain. His eyes widened at the sight of the shadow burning her forearms, laughing with glee as Megan cried in agony.

He moved to help her, but instead had to fall to the floor to avoid getting decapitated from behind. _**"Your fight's with me, cabrón,"**_ Satan said as though speaking to a child. As he swung the zweihandler down, he continued _**"Learn to focus on that instead of your dead-weights you call friends!"**_

Michael barely managed to grab _Avalon,_ using it to knock the evil blade away from him and give him the chance to strike. He reared his fist back, _Equinox_ primed and ready, and punched his evil self in the gut. The explosion caused Satan to be blown back into the door, bouncing off it before hitting the ground hard.

At the same time as Michael took notice of Megan's state of being, Raven was throwing everything she could at her demonic double. _**"What's wrong, bitch?"**_ the double asked. _**"I thought you were stronger than this?"**_

"Shut up," Raven growled. She cast several bolts of energy, sending them right at the demonic visage.

Evil Raven simply shrugged them off, cackling as it did so. _ **"So pathetic. So weak. All because of what you do."**_

"Shut up!" she threw a much larger blast of energy, mixed in with some bolts of lightning. They, too, were shrugged off.

_**"What you pretend to be."** _

She then summoned a torrent of blades, fireballs, and explosive bolts, throwing them at the twisted doppelganger as she screamed **"I SAID SHUT UP!"** A large dust cloud formed from the impact, as Raven readied another spell.

The evil reflection, however, hit her with a crimson bolt of energy. Flying back, she slammed into the wall as her demonic self calmly walked out of the smoke, grinning like a maniac. _**"It's what makes you weak. And it's why you'll fail."**_

***BOOM***

***BOOM***

The sounds of explosions immediately followed, a cloud of smoke forming from where Michael fired an explosive round from _Avalon_ at the demonic visage before he blew the burning shadow's arms off, causing it to drop Megan. Screaming in pain, it turned angrily at Michael and began to run at him.

***BOOM***

The shadow was then blown to bits by another shot, Michael panting as he lowered his rifle/sheath. Suddenly, Satan appeared behind him, rearing _Pesadilla del Diablo_ back over his left shoulder with the intent to cleave the Multiverser in twain. Michael brought _Avalon_ and _Masamune_ up as soon as he felt the aspect's presence, sheathing the blade in the sheath/rifle to give himself extra protection.

With a mighty roar, Satan brought the blade down, causing it to collide with _Masamune_ and _Avalon._

A powerful shockwave resulted from the collision as arcs of energy radiated off the weapons. Both Michael and Satan grit their teeth, putting all their strength into their arms. Good and evil struggled in their deadlock, unwilling to give even a fraction of an inch. Still, both knew that eventually, something had to give, which would allow them the advantage they needed.

And at that moment, something did give.

***CRASH***

A large cloud of dust formed from the explosion, forcing Megan and Rachel- the latter of whom was busy healing Megan's injuries- had to shield their eyes from the resulting blast. Opening their eyes, they stared in shock at the scene before them.

**(End "Three Days Grace - Animal I Have Become")**

* * *

Michael stared dumbly before him. Gripped tightly in his hands were _Masamune_ and _Avalon,_ smoking from the collision's energy. What he could not comprehend, however, was their current state of being: where there was a single sword in a scabbard/rifle, he now held two pieces of the weapons.

Upon that moment, he realized that Masamune had briefly screamed in agony just before the explosion. And now she was silent.

By the time he finally realized Satan had cut through his sword and sheath/rifle- which he believed to be indestructible- and most likely killed someone he loved, blood spurted out of the gaping wound on his right side, stretching from shoulder to half-way down his gut. And as the blood hit the floor, so did he.

Chuckling, Satan circled around his fallen foe. _ **"Looks like your 'invincible sword and sheath' isn't so invincible after all, is it?"**_ the dark double asked, raising his sword in a stabbing position. _**"Ah well. Adios, Niño."**_

 **"ENOUGH!"** Four voices cried out. Before he could even react, blood started shooting out of Satan's body, pushing him back into the wall with a resounding crash. He coughed up a bit more blood, before falling right to the ground in a hacking heap.

Michael, Megan and Rachel simply stared at the evil double, their minds trying to comprehend what the hell had just happened. When they finally did, they slowly, barely, moved their heads toward their saviors. And what they saw made their eyes widen.

There were **four** Adams.

One was wielding _Highlander_ and had blue eyes instead of the normal yellow. Another had green eyes and was armed with a Plasma Caster _._ The third's eyes were black and was holding _Muramasa._ The shades of the fourth one were gone, instead showing a normal pair of eyes, with _Wild Card_ in one hand and _Silencer_ in the other.

Getting back up, Satan shakily took notice of who sucker punched him- so to speak- before his eyes narrowed in utter contempt at the four Adams. _**"Oh great, YOU guys,"**_ he groaned.

Black eyes simply sighed. "You know, normally, I wouldn't condone violence. However, like the rest of you- and you especially, Hope- I'm feeling a large desire to kill this **THING,"** he snarled the last word.

"Damn right, Bravery," Normal Eyes agreed.

"So how should we play this, Heroism?" Green Shades asked the now named "Heroism."

"Well, Willpower, we need to buy Mikey time to shut down the system. So get going, Mikey! We'll handle him!" Heroism responded. Michael weakly nodded his head as Hope helped him up and started to help guide him toward the system.

 _ **"You three are starting to piss me off. Oh well. Time for you to die,"**_ Satan said with a scowl, raising _Pesadilla del Diablo_ back as he prepared to charge the Aspects.

"No," the three fragments of Adam's mind said at once, "it's time for **YOU** to die!" With their piece said, they charged forward.

Satan took a large swipe at them, blade arcing in front of him and delivering a wave of energy right at them. Bravery leaped right in front of the blast, taking the brunt of it with _Highlander_ as Willpower and Heroism continued their charge.

Heroism arrived first, swinging the Gravity Hammer down upon his foe with the intent to kill, only for _Pesadilla del Diablo_ to take the attack. The force of the strike, however, shattered the ground beneath him, causing Satan to lose his footing a bit. This gave Heroism the chance to strike at him with _Muramasa_ , slashing him across the chest.

The evil aspect snarled in pain as he blasted Heroism back, turning his attention to Willpower...just as he aimed _Wild Card_ right at him, blasting him square in the face. Howling in agony, he was unable to protect himself as Bravery began to attack alongside Willpower and Heroism.

As the three aspects laid into Satan, a weary Michael and Hope arrived at the control center. Handing him over to an equally weary Megan and Rachel, Hope turned on the console, linking it up to the system. "Please tell me you know the code," Hope asked, keeping his eyes on Satan at all times.

"Yeah," Michael groaned out, "Neutrality told it to me. Thought why can't you-"

"We tried earlier," the aspect interrupted. "Satan locked every aspect of Adam out."

"So a non-aspect is the only one who can access the system," Raven realized.

"Exactly. Now, if you excuse me," he said as he brought out _Silencer,_ "I'm going to turn your evil twin into a pin cushion." As he charged forward, Michael started inputting the code and waiting for it to take effect. Hope, meanwhile, began opening fire on the crouched figure of Satan, who was shaking in pain and...

**Rage.**

_**"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**_ With a roar of pure rage, he shot up to his feet and threw his arms out, releasing a wave of black energy that blasted the four aspects backwards.

As the pressure brought Michael, Rachel and Megan to their knees, Michael looked at the evil aspect in shock. "Please tell me that wasn't what I think it was."

 _ **"That's right, cabrón,"**_ Satan breathed out with a smirk. _**"You honestly think I'd be around all of this Negatium and be stupid enough to**_ **not** _ **decide to use it?!"**_

"To be perfectly honest...yeah, I thought you'd be that stupid."

A noticeable tick mark appeared on his forehead. _**"Cute. But now, thanks to that Negatium, my attacks are stronger than ever! And guess what I'm going to use them on first?"**_

Noticing the progress bar on the terminal, Michael said "I want to say..."

 _ **"It's you,"**_ he interrupted. _**"I'm using it on you and your whores, then I'm going to kill everyone around you. And there's not a damn thing that you can either**_ **do** _ **or**_ **say** _ **that-"**_

"The Game," Michael said impulsively, eyes widening as he realized what he said.

* * *

Back in the real world, everyone in the cave either face-palmed themselves, or- in a few cases- actually face faulted as a result of Michael's words. Duncan- being one of the former- could only mumble "Really?"

"...He's gonna die, isn't he?" Conner asked.

Wally simply nodded. "Yep."

* * *

...

...

...

...

...

"Uh, is he supposed to have that many blood vessels pulsating?" Megan nervously asked.

"He also has a nasty eye twitch," Raven noticed.

Sweating a bit, Michael said "Yeah, I think I might've gone a bit too far this t-"

_**"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"** _

Satan began swinging _Pesadilla del Diablo_ like a madman, eyes filled with unbridled fury as he charged at the trio. Unfortunately, that meant he was only focused on the front, leaving his back wide open. A weakness that Heroism and Bravery took full advantage of, impaling the evil aspect onto the ground with _Muramasa_ and _Silencer._

As Satan struggled against his bonds, Heroism grunted "How much longer?!" right before he was thrown off and slammed into the wall.

"Uh, about a minute?" Megan responded.

"We don't have a- **OOF!"** That was Bravery, who was punched right in the chest as he pulled _Steeler_ out. Satan managed to pull himself up, kicking Hope and Willpower away as he charged Bravery. Said aspect took a swing at Satan with his fist _,_ only for it to collide with _Pesadilla del Diablo_ with a resounding ***CLANG!***

Using this opportunity, Satan leaped above Bravery and landed behind him, grabbing him by the shoulders and yelling _**"Kidney punch!"**_

Bravery's face scrunched in agony at the blow, howling in pain.

_**"Kidney punch, kidney punch, kidney punch! And pause...Kidney punch!"** _

Bravery fell to the floor, wheezing in pain as Satan reared back his leg and kicked him right in the gut. He then grabbed him by the collar, flinging him right into Heroism. Hope and Willpower then charged forward, the former opening fire on the evil aspect. He effortlessly dodged the shots, before delivering a palm-heel strike into Hope's sternum and punching him in the throat.

Dropping to the floor, he smirked as the Gravity Hammer soared over his head. He then placed himself on his back, before pushing off of the ground and planting both feet into Willpower's face. Landing in the middle of Hope and Willpower, he aimed both hands at them before unleashing a wave of Negatium, slamming them both deep into the walls.

**(Play "Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance OST - A Stranger I Remain Extended")**

Getting back up, Bravery continued "We don't...have a minute."

"We just have to keep this ass-clown busy while the code resets the system, which- if it works- will revert back to the original design!" Heroism said. With renewed vigor, the aspects charged at Satan.

Bravery swung _Muramasa,_ cutting a large gash into Satan's torso. **"Raiden's got nothing on me, jackass!"** he taunted Satan as he impaled the evil aspect, and then kicked him into a wall. Groaning in pain, Satan yanked the blade out of himself, throwing it to the ground as he began to work himself out of the wall.

"Eat some of this!" Hope said, firing maximum powered shots, which kept pushing Satan further and further into a wall. Following up on this, Willpower then aimed the Plasma Caster as he fired a maximum power shot, which blew up in Satan's face.

Satan's face quickly healed, though it would never remain the same as Heroism then slashed _Silencer_ across his face, leaving a permanent diagonal scar across from the corner of his left lip to right eyebrow.

 _ **"AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!"**_ the evil aspect cried in agony. Glaring at Heroism, he cried out _**"YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"**_ as he threw a ball of fire directly into Heroism's own face.

Hope and Willpower charged forward, only to be grabbed by two large hands of dark energy. The duo were slammed together, disorienting them as Satan threw them back towards Heroism and Bravery.

"Dude, this fight can't go on forever! We have to combine our strengths!" Hope groaned as they all nodded their heads.

 _ **"You locos think I'd let y-"**_ Satan was cut off from what he was going to say, as Rachel, Michael and Megan telekinetically threw him to the ground. Though weakened, they had enough strength to keep him down for now.

The four aspects nodded at the two, before bringing their hands together. **"MULTIVERSAL...FUSION!"** they all cried as their bodies started fusing into one body, which looked like the statue Michael saw earlier. The body then charged forward, screaming with a fusion of Hope, Bravery, Willpower and Heroism's voices, **"THIS ENDS NOW!"**

The body then punched Satan, forcing him into the ground. Before it could deliver another kick, Satan grabbed the foot and twisted it to an odd angle. As the body groaned in pain, Satan then kicked the body, sending him into another wall with a resounding crash.

Chuckling, Satan asked _**"Is that seriously all you've got?"**_ He got his answer immediately, as the body was right in front of him. The body then delivered a powerful backhand across Satan's face, sending him sprawling toward a set of liquid nitrogen tanks.

 **"NOT BY A LONG SHOT, BITCH,"** the body answered, smirking as Satan got back up.

 _ **"YOU LITTLE SHITS!"**_ Satan cried out in anger, charging right in as he thrust his sword, but the body flipped over it as it embedded into the tank. The body landed on the sword, kicking Satan in the face before slicing the tank further.

 **"REVENGE...IS BEST SERVED COLD, SATAN VERSER,"** the body stated as it jumped off, shooting more nitrogen as Satan's body slowly froze.

 _ **"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-"**_ Satan cried out, his anguish cut off as his head finally froze. If they paid attention, they would've noticed the shadow of Satan leaving its body, crawling away from the frozen corpse.

The body then turned around to look at the frozen form of Satan. **"NOW GET OUT OF OUR HEAD!"** they all cried as the body threw his hands forward, sending Satan's frozen body toward a fissure in the ground, sending it falling into the darkness. An explosive flash of light soon followed, signaling the end of the fight.

**(End "Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance OST - A Stranger I Remain Extended")**

The body then glowed before flashing. When the light cleared, the four fragments were separated. "I know we just won and all, but I have one thing to ask," Hope said, panting heavily along with his fellow aspects.

"What?" Willpower asked.

"Why the **fuck** does this place have a set of liquid nitrogen tanks?" Hope asked.

"Because I thought they would look cool," Bravery answered. "But hey, they helped us, didn't they? Now come on, we gotta help Michael," he stated as the other aspects nodded. Suddenly, a beeping noise came from the console, followed by a flash of light that surrounded the entire room.

* * *

**Outside Adam's mind...**

* * *

"...Ho. Ly. **Shit,"** Oliver said, his jaw dropped to the floor. The rest of the League and the Team were in a similar state. Hell, even Duncan was stunned speechless. And that's saying something.

After Satan summoned up the two demonic guardians, the others had been trying to disconnect Michael, Raven and Megan from the suit, only to recoil in pain as the Negatium flared up and lashed at them. It seemed that this Satan Verser was intent on making sure no one interfered with his goal.

A goal that nearly succeeded, as three young heroes were close to the doors of death. But then the aspects of Adam showed up, and then the fight got even more intense. Thankfully, they managed to win in the end, and hopefully put an end to the evil aspect of Michael's mind.

Coming out of his stupor, Duncan said "Well...that was a thing."

 **"Now** can we get them out?" Robin asked.

"Not until they unlock the s-" He was cut off as the suit hissed, releasing air as it opened up, revealing the blackened and dying body of Adam Verser. "Okay, **now** we can get them out."

Vic didn't waste any time, inputting the program that allowed him to safely bring the three out of Adam's system. A few seconds later, their eyes fluttered open as they breathed heavily. As they regained their breathing, Michael called out "Duncan...next time... **you're** going into Adam's mind..."

Chuckling, he replied "Fair enough. Now help me get him to the med-bay. We need to work fast if we're gonna save him." He was joined by Diana, J'onn, Dinah and Oliver, who helped carry Adam out of the suit- which disappeared as soon as they got him out- and carried him to the med bay.

As they carried him off, Batman sighed as he looked to the Team. "This is **not** how I hoped your first day as a team would play out," he began. "But you can rarely choose who your first opponent will be in this line of work. Despite all of that, you pulled through. That in itself is a victory." The rest of the Team softly smiled at that, all of them agreeing with him. "Get some rest. You've definitely earned it." With that said, he and the rest of the League left through the zeta tube and went back to the Watchtower.

"Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to go make sure I didn't get anything from in there in my own mind." With that said, the empathetic half-demon disappeared into the shadows.

"...She's all sunshine and rainbows, isn't she?" Wally asked.

"The three of us just survived a nightmare, Wally," Michael stated wearily. "I think she's earned the right to get some time to herself."

"I think I'm with you there," Megan agreed. "I...I need to get some sleep."

"I'd say that's something we all need after today's events," Kaldur stated. The rest of the Team nodded, and headed to their personal quarters. Michael, however, looked back at Megan, his face etched with concern for the young Martian. But his face then became one of sorrow as he looked down at _Masamune_ and _Avalon._

Both now broken into two pieces.

* * *

**Michael's POV:**

* * *

**Happy Harbor, July 18, 22:43 EDT**

* * *

As everyone headed to sleep, Megan lay curled up on her bed, head buried in her knees. She hadn't been able to get to sleep since she got there, her mind replaying the events she witnessed back in Adam's mind.

A knocking at her door brought her out of her thoughts. "Can I come in?" I asked.

"Uh, sure, hold on a minute." Megan got up and unlocked her door, letting me in. "Couldn't sleep either?" she asked.

"Heh, after what we just went through, how could I?" I stated light-heartedly. Chuckling a bit, I looked down to the pieces of _Masamune_ and _Avalon_ that I carried with me, setting them down on the table. "But yeah, I...have a lot on my mind right now."

Looking at the weapons, she asked "Those meant a lot to you, didn't they?"

I nodded. "They were my first weapons, weapons I created alongside Duncan. They've been with me ever since the start of my career. But they're... **more** than simple weapons."

The two of us sat down on her bed, both our gazes on the broken weapons. "What do you mean by that?" Megan asked.

"...Masamune was more than a sword," I responded, my tone extremely somber. "She was alive."

Confusion spread across her face, before she realized the meaning behind my words. "Oh...I...I'm so sorry, Michael," she said as she placed a hand on mine, sympathy in her voice and eyes. "I didn't know..."

"Yeah, it isn't really something I like to broadcast to others," I said. Sighing, I continued "Thankfully, Rachel was able to help me get her soul out of the blade before the damage could be permanent. Still...Masamune's in a coma now. Probably will be until I can get her into a new home for her spirit."

Megan looked down in sadness, quietly saying "I can't even imagine what you must be going through right now."

"Well, I think I know what you must be going through right now," I said, gaining her attention. "Megan, you went through horrors I wouldn't wish on anyone. I know what that kind of stuff does to a mind. So if...if you ever need anyone to talk to...I'm all ears," I finished with a comforting smile, softly grasping her hand with my own.

Returning the smile, she said "Thank you, Michael. You're too kind."

Chuckling, I responded "Yeah, that's said to be one of my best features." The two of us laughed a bit, then stayed as we were for a few minutes. After another minute of comfortable silence, I got up and said "Well, I should probably head out now. You really need some sleep after-"

I was stopped in my tracks, feeling Megan's hand as it held onto mine. Turning back, I looked at Megan, her face etched in a bit of worry. "I'm sorry, I...I know this is...could you...could you please stay here...at least for tonight...?" A moment passed before I nodded, returning to her bed as we laid down on it. A few minutes later, I noticed that she couldn't keep her eyes closed, her mind still a jumble from what we had seen in Adam's mind.

**(Play "Natsuhiboshi Sumaru's Lullaby with lyrics")**

As I wrapped my arms around her, I remembered a song I once heard before becoming a Multiverser. A song I memorized by heart, one I sung softly to her.

_**"Natsuhiboshi naze akai (Natsuhiboshi, why are you so red?)** _

_**Yuube kanashii yume wo miita (Because I had a sad dream last night)** _

_**Naite hanashita (My eyes are red, from the tears I shed,)** _

_**Akai me yo (Swollen as I cry)"** _

As the words fell from my mouth, Megan seemed to hang on every lyric. Her grip tightened on my shirt, shaking softly in my grasp.

_**"Natsuhiboshi naze mayou (Natsuhiboshi, why you've lost your way?)** _

_**Kieta warashi wo sagashiteru (I'm searching for a child whose gone afar)** _

_**Dakara kanashii (He can't be found, though I search all day)** _

_**Yume wo miru (My sad dreams come once more)"** _

Finally, Megan let loose her tears, allowing them to fall on me as she buried her face in my chest. Silently sobbing, the two of us lay there in her bed as an astral visage of my Multiverser wings covered us both. We never moved an inch until the morning came.

**(End "Natsuhiboshi Sumaru's Lullaby with lyrics")**

* * *

**Unknown Location...**

* * *

**Third Person's POV:**

* * *

Satan's eyes shot open, staring at the ceiling above him. It was dark, a bit moldy, and the sounds of dripping water filled his ears. Working past the pain shooting through his body, he forced himself up to get a better look at his surroundings.

He found himself in what appeared to be an underground catacomb, with a series of passages laid out before him. The only sources of light came from the torches stationed at the entrance to each passage. As he continued to look around, he began to laugh.

If he were to be honest with himself, he wasn't expecting to have lost as he did. In fact, he thought he would've won with the Negatium he had absorbed. The mere fact that it wasn't enough, that Michael was still alive, infuriated him to no end.

That didn't mean he never thought there was the chance he might lose. He wasn't so arrogant to think he was completely invincible...not yet, anyway. That's why he made a backup plan, a way to survive in case things did go to shit.

He didn't spend all that time in Adam's head without learning some things, and what he learned paid off. And now, stationed in this dark area, he smirked as he chuckled. Even during that entire fight...even after inputting the code...they never even noticed that they had failed in the end. They never even suspected that Satan was simply buying time, was a mere distraction.

A distraction that got **him** free in the end.

Well, he had done his part, and gotten him freed from the Void. Now, Satan had to focus on himself. He had taken much more damage in the fight than he originally thought. Now he had to recover that strength.

 _ **"No matter,"**_ he said to himself. _**"I did it in the Void...I can do it here."**_

With that, he managed to hoist himself up, and walked toward one of the passageways. He tried to take the torch with him, but it refused to come out. He simply scoffed at the minor inconvenience, then began to walk into the darkness.

The darkness would only be a minor inconvenience to him. He knew these tunnels. He had **made** these tunnels. And in the safety of these tunnels, he would rebuild his strength. And when he was ready...

 _ **"No one will stop me,"**_ he said, his form disappearing into the darkness.

* * *

**Unknown Location...**

* * *

**Unknown POV:**

* * *

**"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**

This person is not as interesting as I thought he would be. Especially since I'm stuck in this form. I can't even use my powers, which resorts to half of my research being done. Not as interesting as those Verser kids.

But Adam infuriates me. He took away my control. He stuffed me into a prison, forced to do nothing but **WATCH.**

**IT.**

*STAB*

**PISSED.**

*STAB*

**ME.**

*STAB*

**OFF.**

*STAB*

I focused my attention back to the now bloody mess that was my research. "Great. Ever since I escaped, I've become sloppier. I **hate** sloppy. And I can't leave this reality because he took away my power. If I ever see Adam again, I'm going to tear him apart."

**"Then we have a common goal."**

I spun around, knife in hand to see a man wearing all black, with a hooded leather jacket over his metal body armor, intricately designed and the color of dark steel. He wore black, padded jeans, and had a dai-katana strapped to his side (which seemed to have a pistol built into the handle and tsuba). His face was completely covered, both by the hood and a featureless metal mask. The power radiating from him was enormous.

"What?" I asked.

 **"We have a common enemy, my friend. The Multiversers. I know what they did to you. I know you want revenge. I can help you with that,"** he said, extending a hand.

I regarded his hand very carefully. This man is offering me a chance to get revenge. _'Should I accept, Laura?_

_'I should?_

_'Yes, yes, the benefits would be great.'_

"What do I get out of this?" I asked. While intrigued, I had to be a bit cautious.

 **"PLEASE, LET ME GO!"** I heard my next piece of research cry out as I turned my attention to her.

 **"Two things actually. One: You get your sister back,"** he said as I stared at my sister, who looked as beautiful as always. She nodded her head.

"And the second?" I asked as I picked up some surgical tools that were already stained with blood.

 **"You get as many research material as you want,"** he answered.

Upon hearing those words, I let lose a savage grin. My answer was simple at that point.

"I accept."

The man then gave a ferocious laugh once I gripped his hand. **"Congratulations, Ruvik. You've just become one of The End's Pseudoversers."**

* * *

**(Play "Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater Soundtrack: Snake Eater")**

**...**

**YOUNG MULTIVERSER**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**Written by:**

**Hero of the Multiverse**

**...**

**Co-Written by:**

**VindictiveDunc**

**BioshockerN7**

**...**

**Starring:**

**Michael Verser/Atlas**

**...**

**Conner Kent/Superboy**

**...**

**Dick Grayson/Robin**

**...**

**Wally West/Kid Flash**

**...**

**Kaldur'ahm/Aqualad**

**...**

**Rachel Roth/Raven**

**...**

**Koriand'r/Starfire**

**...**

**Victor Stone/Cyborg**

**...**

**Megan Morse/Miss Martian**

**...**

**Co-Starring:**

**Akima/Lambda**

**Masamune**

**Duncan Verser/Oberon**

**Adam Verser/Timeshifter**

**...**

**Roy Harper/Speedy**

**Bruce Wayne/Batman**

**Diana Prince/Wonder Woman**

**John Smith/Red Tornado**

**J'onn J'onzz/Martian Manhunter**

**Oliver Queen/Green Arrow**

**Barry Allen/The Flash**

**Orin/Aquaman**

**Clark Kent/Superman**

**Dinah Lance/Black Canary**

**...**

**The "Man in Black"**

**...**

**Special Guest Appearances:**

**Satan Verser**

**Ruvik**

**...**

**(End "** **Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater Soundtrack: Snake Eater** **")**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's a wrap.
> 
> Like I said, these last two chapters were pretty much the darkest chapters I've written yet. This also helped to show that despite all his power, Michael is not invincible.
> 
> Quite a few things have happened, too. With Ruvik free and under The Antiverser's control, a new threat on the field, and two of Michael's weapons destroyed, things ought to be getting pretty hectic for our hero in the future.
> 
> And if you want to know more about Ruvik, look him up on The Evil Within.
> 
> Until next time, this is Hero of the Multiverse, signing out! Please leave a review/comment, BUT NO FLAMES!


	7. Much Needed Relaxation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess whose back, my loyal fans?! I'm so sorry I took so long, but life- and finals- had gotten in my way. But now that those are over, I'M BACK IN THE SADDLE! So to speak.
> 
> Okay, so after the darkness of last chapter, things are going to be a lot lighter here. This chapter will be dealing with recovering from the events that took place in Adam's mind, from simple relaxation to meeting with both old and new faces.
> 
> Also, it may have happened a while ago, but it finally happened. One of my stories was taken down by a FanFiction administrator, due to someone reporting it for a non-story chapter I removed before the story was taken down. Because of that, I am preparing for the possibility that any MORE of my stories get taken down.
> 
> Don't fret, though. For those of you who liked that story (or want to read it), I have successfully posted it- along with many of my other stories- on the site known as Archive of Our Own, a fan fiction site that is safer to post stories on. That being said, I have also decided to take my chances and I reposted the story on FanFiction. Here's hoping it does better this time around.
> 
> Lastly, I wish to give thanks to both VindictiveDunc and BioshockerN7, my two favorite co-authors, for their help in this chapter. Without them, I don't think I would've been able to have done half as good as I did with their assistance.
> 
> And now for the disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN YOUNG JUSTICE IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM! YOUNG JUSTICE IS THE PROPERTY OF BRANDON VIETTI AND GREG WEISMAN CREATED FOR CARTOON NETWORK! IF I DID OWN YOUNG JUSTICE, HOWEVER, THERE WOULD BE A THIRD SEASON BY NOW!
> 
> Oh, one more thing: I've recently put up a poll on my profile concerning this story. Please be sure to leave your votes in it when you get the chance.
> 
> With that out of the way, let's begin...

_**Voice Cast** _ _ **(how I envision certain characters being voiced)** _ _**:** _

_**Adam Verser = Troy Baker** _

_**Karen Starr/Power Girl = Allison Mack** _

* * *

**BGMs:**

**Raise Hell - Dorothy**

**Get Psycho - Disturbed**

**Rockstar - Nickleback**

**Gangnam Style - PSY**

**Wanted: Dead or Alive - Bon Jovi**

**Why So Serious - The Dark Knight OST**

* * *

**Michael's POV:**

* * *

**Happy Harbor, July 19, 06:47 EDT**

* * *

It was a rather peaceful morning, with barely any activity to report. Something that was welcomed by all present, considering the events of yesterday.

I had woken up rather early in the morning, something that was rare for me. Forcing my eyes open, I found my face extremely close to the peaceful, sleeping face of one Megan Morse. Backing my face away as best as I could without waking her up, I wondered with wide eyes and a blush what the hell was going on.

Then the memories came flooding back. The fight against Mister Twister; encountering Lucifer; going into the horror that was Adam's security system; the trauma that Megan and Rachel endured in there; that monster, Satan, showing his face again; losing _Masamune_ and _Avalon_ \- subsequently putting Masamune in a coma- again; and spending the night with Megan.

Smiling softly, I phased out of Megan's grasp, letting her sleep while I went to get something to eat. Since I was up so early (with no signs of going back to sleep soon), I might as well kill some time while waiting for the others to wake up. I cast a sideways glance to my broken companions on the table, a small frown etching on my face as I left the room.

One thing was for sure today: I was going to make this day one of relaxation. No Ifs, Ands, or Buts about it.

As I walked toward the kitchen, I heard the sounds of gunfire. "What the hell?" I said to myself.

Slowly walking toward the noise, I saw Adam with his jacket and shirt off, showing the multiple cuts on his arms and chest that had to be made to remove the Negatium. "You don't have to be silent," he called out, not even turning his head back.

I sighed and walked toward him. The recovering Multiverser had an Xbox 360 controller in his hands as I looked at the screen. He was playing _Halo 4-_ coincidentally one of my favorite games- and was kicking serious ass in the Campaign.

"Mind if I sit?" I asked.

"Go ahead," Adam replied with a shrug. With that, the two of us sat together in silence. Adam continued on with shooting his way through Covenant Storm forces with a Scattershot shotgun, turning them into piles of digital ash.

"So," I began casually, "how long have you been up?"

"A few hours, now," the Aspect of Time replied. "I've got a clean bill of health, too. Of course, I'm going to have to stay here for a bit until I recover."

"Cool," I replied. "It'll be nice having another Multiverser to talk to here."

Then Adam paused the game, turning himself to face me. "Look Mikey, I want to tell you something," he said, his yellow eyes showing sadness.

"What?" I asked.

"I...I never meant for you to be caught up in that shit storm with Ruvik. I still don't know how we got there either. But it traumatized you, and now...it traumatized your team mates," he said. He closed his eyes, before opening them again.

"Adam, I-"

"When I became a Multiverser," he interrupted, "I swore to myself that I wouldn't let anyone be hurt because of me. And I failed that promise when we woke up in that reality. The double that existed there? He may not have looked like it, but he was so traumatized, he wanted me to kill him just so I could stop hearing the screams. Some Multiverser I am," he finished despondently.

...Damn.

When I first met Adam, he seemed like the kind of person you'd get along with immediately. But if there's one thing Duncan has taught me about Multiversers, it's that we all have our own quirks after going through eternity. Adam's being his secretive nature.

"Adam, I'm...I'm sorry I held a grudge against you for that. I wanted for so long to wish the highest amounts of pain among you after that day. I never tried to realize that Ruvik controlled the reality, so he could make us hate each other. And I trapped Satan inside your mind, not even giving a thought about what that might do to you. I never meant for that to happen. So, I'm sorry too," I said, lowering my head.

Then a controller slowly floated into my view. I looked to see Adam's eyes glowing slightly, a smile gracing his lips. "Wanna play?" he asked.

Sighing to myself, I thought _'How the hell can I pass this up?'_

"Sure," I said, taking the controller and joining in...only to be immediately killed by an Elite. "The **fuck?!"**

"Hard mode, bro," Adam answered.

And so we played, having some laughs...

_**Michael:** _ **"DUDE, I FUCKING LASERED YOU! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"**

Some MLG moments...

 _ **Adam:**_ "Energy Sword Gravity Hammer COMBO!"

And some rage mode.

_**Adam:** _ **"WHAT THE FUCK, THAT PERSON IS CAMPING AND HACKING!"**

Everything was peaceful until...

"What are you two doing?"

The two of us both screamed, jumping off the sofa to see Conner with a confused look on his face. Being the first to recover and try to act like he didn't scream like a little girl, Adam answered "Playing a video game called _Halo 4._ Wanna join?"

Eyebrow raised, he asked "What's it about?"

"It's a sci-fi first person shooter game, part of one of the most **awesome** video game series," I answered. "You in? It'll definitely be a good introduction to the grand world of video games."

With a shrug, he answered "Why not? _What's the worst that could happen?"_

My eyes widened in pure horror as I stared at the screen, Adam setting the game for Multiplayer. My hands went so slack that I nearly dropped my controller.

It was at that moment where I realized that we made a **HUGE** mistake.

* * *

**Third Person's POV:**

* * *

**Thirty Minutes Later...**

* * *

**"WHAT THE FUCK?!"**

***CRASH!***

Upon hearing the resounding impact, everyone still asleep in the cave were wide awake. Getting dressed as quickly as possible, they all ran towards the living room, where a series of loud noises and whimpers were coming from. "What's going on?!" Kaldur exclaimed.

Only to duck just as a footstool nearly took his head off.

At that point, everyone stared in awe and horror at the sight before them: the entire room was in ruins, with furniture laying in pieces and some sections of the floor cracked. The TV was shattered, smoke and sparks flying from the screen. And at the center of the carnage was Conner, breathing heavily in rage.

Another whimper was heard, turning the Team's attention to Michael and Adam, who were cowering in terror behind the kitchen wall. They were also shaking in fear, praying that whatever happened had finally ended. "Do I even want to know?" Robin asked in slight trepidation.

"...Have you ever seen a Kryptonian experience Gamer's Rage before?" Adam asked.

Kory cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "Gamer's Rage?"

"A state of being when one experiences a great amount of anger, due to being unable to win a part in a video game," Victor answered. Eye widening in understanding, he said "So that means..."

"...Never let Conner play another game again," Michael shakily said. "At least until he can get his anger under control."

* * *

**(Play "Raise Hell - Dorothy")**

**Gotta raise a little hell**

The camera fades in, showing the sun rising above the planet Earth as its rays chase away the darkness.

Soon, the title fades into view.

**YOUNG MULTIVERSER**

The scene changes to show a group of silhouettes, who then scatter into different directions as an unseen enemy opens fire on them.

**Young blood, run like a river**

**Young blood, never get chained**

The camera shows a young man with dark skin, wearing a red and navy blue suit as he holds two curved handles that forms blades of water as he charges at the unseen enemy.

_**AQUALAD** _

**Young blood, heaven need a sinner**

**You can't raise hell with a saint**

Replacing him is a fair skinned young man, wearing a black t-shirt with the Superman logo emblazoned on the chest, tossing a tank at a large robot.

_**SUPERBOY** _

**Young blood, came to start a riot**

**Don't care what your old man say**

The image is replaced by one of a boy wearing a domino mask with a cape and red and black clothing, explosive projectiles in hand as he smirks.

_**ROBIN** _

**Young blood, heaven hate a sinner**

**But we're gonna raise hell anyway**

**Raise Hell**

A blur of yellow passes by, stopping to reveal a young man with fiery red hair wearing a yellow and red bodysuit as he beats a group of thieves with super speed.

_**KID FLASH** _

**Yeah**

**Raise Hell**

A green skinned girl then appeared, her eyes glowing green as she telepathically lifts a section of the ground to block a barrage of enemy fire.

_**MISS MARTIAN** _

**Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell**

The scene changes to a girl with long blonde hair and a green costume, pulling back a bow with three arrows, all fired at an unseen enemy.

_**ARTEMIS** _

**Baby, drop them bombs**

A girl with black hair and a red sleeveless jump suit soared through the air, spinning a golden lasso around as she flew onto the scene.

_**WONDER GIRL** _

**Baby, sell that soul**

Above the sea, a girl with orange skin and long red hair soars through the sky, her green eyes glowing as pink bolts of energy form in her hands.

_**STARFIRE** _

**Heaven fare thee well**

A pale skinned girl wearing a navy blue dress and cloak follows suit, wielding dark energy as she faces her opponent.

_**RAVEN** _

**Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell**

A man with dark skin, covered mostly in machinery, changes his arm into a cannon as he smirks at a group of enemies.

_**CYBORG** _

A young man wearing white and blue stands on top of a building, before pulling a hood over his head and leaping off.

**Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell**

He joins the rest of his team below, fighting a large group of enemies with little to no ease.

The unnamed young man leaps into the air, punching his foe and causing the screen to white out.

**Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell**

Fading back into focus, the group of enemies is shown defeated, with the group of young heroes standing victorious as they look towards the screen.

**(End "Raise Hell - Dorothy")**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Much Needed Relaxation**

* * *

**Michael's POV:**

* * *

**Happy Harbor, July 19, 10:42 EDT**

* * *

Hours later, after calming Conner down and cleaning up the living room, Adam and I were walking through Happy Harbor. It was nice and sunny out, with only a few clouds in the sky and a nice ocean breeze blowing through town.

Adam wasn't wearing his shades, but he made a pair of contact lens that would make his eyes appear normal if or when he couldn't wear his shades. Said contacts made his eyes look hazel with white sclera. He was also wearing a black fedora.

Now you wouldn't think something's up, but his eyes were always moving, looking around, as if he was analyzing his environment. From what he told me about himself, he was from a military family, and he had learned to always keep his eyes and ears open for anything wrong.

_'He seems to be a bit on edge.'_

{He's always on edge. I thought you knew that by now.}

 _'Well, Sterling, he's more on edge than usual,'_ I replied.

"You okay dude?" I asked, making him look at me. His face didn't show it, but I could tell something was eating at him.

"I don't know," he responded. "I **should** feel fine, but I feel like something is missing from my mind. Could be when Satan left, but it's like something else is missing."

I sighed in annoyance. "Great," I muttered. "Even in death, that bastard's finding a way to fuck with people's-"

"Michael!"

We both turned around to see who called me. My eyes widened in surprise and happiness as I saw the smiling, eternally lovely visage of my favorite red headed Atlantean. "Hey, Tula!" I said, giving her a big hug. Breaking apart, I asked "What brings you here?"

"Well, Garth wanted to come visit Kaldur," she began, "and I thought, well, since you're in the area, it would be a great way to catch up and just hang out."

I chuckled. "Yeah, I don't think I can remember the last time we just...hung out with each other. That didn't involve-"

Suddenly, I heard a certain someone clearing their throat. I looked back at Adam to see that he was smiling. "Soooo...introductions?" he asked.

I rubbed the back of my head, chuckling with embarrassment at forgetting he was still here. "Oh yeah, sorry. Tula, this is Adam Verser, the...I guess you could say the second eldest brother in my family. Adam, I'd like you to meet Tula. She's a...I believe the term is 'friend with benefits,' as well as one of my first friends from Atlantis," I said as the two of them shook hands, though Adam had a knowing look on his face.

He always seemed to know more than he was letting on, so that look is probably one of those moments. Which can be annoying as all get out, seeing as he never really shares that kind of stuff with me.

"Well, nice to meet you, Tula," Adam said.

Tula nodded her head. "Same here. It's nice to meet another member of Michael's family as well," she said.

* * *

**Adam's POV:**

* * *

_'He doesn't even see it.'_

From the moment he introduced her- Hell, from the moment that I saw her face- I knew she wanted to be more than "friends with benefits" with Michael. Which was in itself surprising, seeing as from what I recall from _Young Justice,_ she had a thing for Garth.

I always prided myself to know more than others. It gave me an advantage in the field, along with my experience in combat. And what I noticed right now, even a dead dog could notice: Tula wanted to be **much more** than a "friend with benefits" with Mikey, but he didn't even notice.

{Like you're one to talk, Adam. You never even figured out that Jean and Wanda liked you. They had to pretty much walk up and tell it to your dumb ass self.}

 _'Not now, Sam,'_ I shot back with annoyance. _'Just go back to playing cards with the others.'_

Back to the matter at hand, I just want to say this: I love Mikey like a brother, I really do. But this thick headed, blind as fuck thing of him not noticing that a girl likes him? It was giving me a tumor the size of my fist.

I decided to keep it to myself for now. But he'd find out, sooner or later. If not, then he was going to get a **MULTIVERSAL BITCH SLAP** to the face. Personally from yours truly.

"So," I began politely, "how long've you two known each other?"

"A little over two years, actually," Tula answered. "Michael and Duncan showed up in Happy Harbor one day, met up with Kaldur, and the three of them- along with Garth- worked together to help King Orin fight off the Ocean-Master."

"Since then, Dunc and I spent most of our time living in Poseidonis, at least until we could get our operations set up on the surface," Michael continued. "During that time, Tula and I kinda...well...grew close to each other. Eventually, we came to agree that we held an attraction to each other, but we didn't know how serious it was."

"So we agreed for the time being that we'd be friends with benefits, so we'd be able to work out our feelings," Tula continued, discreetly glancing over at Michael. "We'd still hang out with each other whenever we could, and with his powers- wait a minute," she trailed off, realization dawning on her face. "You're Michael and Duncan's brother...but they...oh my- are you a Multiverser too?!"

***BOOM!***

And that was the moment when I literally- I shit you not- fell to the ground in an anime styled fashion, face firmly planted into the sidewalk. Didn't help that the impact shook the ground a little. Shooting right back up, I reared my head at Michael and exclaimed **"SHE KNOWS?!"**

He chuckled nervously. "I, uh...I figured that she deserved to know the truth," he replied. "Wouldn't talk to me for a week, since she was angry that I lied to her about my origins (a bit), but we...well, managed to work things out."

"We also agreed that we wouldn't keep secrets from each other from now on," she added sternly. "I'll admit, though, it was kinda weird, finding out that you're sex friends with a demigod, but I managed to get over it. I think it's a side effect of hanging around Duncan for too long."

My jaw was hanging openly, still shocked over this turn of events. Snapping out of it, I asked "Does Duncan know about this?"

"He, uh...well, I kinda...forgot...to let him know I filled her in...I'm so totally boned, aren't I?"

"Big time."

All other thoughts were cut off as an explosion rocked the ground. "Okay, what the fuck is going on?!" I asked myself.

* * *

After teleporting to the scene of the explosion, we found ourselves looking at the destroyed entrance of the local bank. Standing at the entrance to the bank was a giant man-crocodile skinned person, yellow eyes full of insanity/hunger. The only visible clothing was a pair of prison pants. **This** idiotic bastard is Waylon Jones, aka Killer Croc., one of Batman's most frequent rogues. And an absolutely perfect way for me to make my debut to the media.

But there were two other people there.

The first was a woman with long, luscious green hair, green eyes, and pale skin that seemed to catch the eyes of anyone who looked. She wore a pair of green skintight pants, a green crop top, a green bandana tied around her forehead, and a pair of green gloves. This burning beauty was Beatriz Da Costa, more commonly known as Fire.

The second was a woman with white hair in a bob cut, with blue eyes, and very pale skin. She wore a skintight blue and white costume, with a loose white tank top, white fingerless gloves that went up to her upper biceps, and a pair of white furry boots. This Norwegian cutie was the lovely Tora Olaffsdotter, a.k.a. Ice.

Their names clearly explain their powers, with Ice being able to manipulate ice and Fire being able to control fire. Despite their opposing powers, the two were the best of friends. And they were in danger of getting their asses kicked by Croc. A humiliation I would wish on no one.

"Let's go, bro!" I said, my suit appearing on my body with my hood up. I looked to see he was already in his suit. We then proceeded to charge forward along with Tula. **"FAUGH A BALLAGH!" (A/N: Gaelic for "Clear the way!")** I shouted, drawing _Steeler_ and speeding towards the fight in progress. Ice and Fire were both shocked to see the two of us charging, especially how I was coming in hot, _Braveheart_ Mel Gibson style.

"Jeez, you're insane," Mikey muttered.

"Somewhat," I responded. Coming to a stop, I noticed the stunned looks of the two super heroines at their unexpected allies. "Hi!" I said, using _Steeler_ to cut a piece of debris in half.

"Hello?" Fire asked, her Brazilian accent sending shivers up my spine. "Not that we don't appreciate the help, but who are-?"

"Oh my God, you're Atlas!" Ice said, her Norwegian accent coming out clearly, Mikey nodded his head.

"And you're Ice, right?" he inquired, causing her to slightly blush as she nodded.

Dodging a piece of debris, she responded "J-Ja, Ja, I-I'm a big fan of your work, ever since you and Oberon came through Norway."

"Pleasure to meet you, snow angel," he said with a smile and a bow (which allowed him to dodge debris). His eyes were also closed at the time, so he didn't notice the bright red blush on her face (along with Fire sending a knowing smile my way- which I returned- or Tula's jealous frown and eye twitch). "This is Aquagirl," he gestured to Tula, who politely nodded as another piece of debris was thrown by Croc, "and this is my brother, Timeshifter," Mikey said, drawing _Paragon_ and _Renegade,_ blasting a big piece into oblivion. "This has happened a million times Croc, so just give up!" he said.

His response was to angrily throw another piece of debris. I simply drew _Hunter_ and blew it up. I then sped toward Croc, sheathing _Steeler_ and throwing a right cross to his face, sending him crashing right into someone's car. The explosion sent a tire flying into the distance, landing God knows where.

I then ducked as Mikey flew right over me, and I slowed time down just enough so that we high-fived mid-flight, before speeding it back up so that he knocked Croc to the ground with a kick. I then saw Fire and Ice blast Croc into a wall. When he got back up, he only got shot right back down. But none of us had fired the shot.

Smirking, I used my Omnipresence to see a familiar flashlight head fleeing the scene.

I then turned back to Croc. "Come on, Croc! You're outnumbered!" I said.

* * *

**Unknown POV:**

* * *

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...It's been ruined..." I whispered, death filling my voice. I was staring with absolute hatred at the tire that crashed **through** my window, **into** my bedroom, and crashing **onto** us as we were in the middle of getting lucky!

Someone was going to die for this.

**Horribly.**

_**Painfully.** _

_**BY MY HAND.** _

"N-now, Honey! Let's be reasonable here!" my companion began in an attempt to assuage my rage.

It wasn't working.

"No. Whoever did that **ruined the mood for me!"** I roared, startling her. My symbiote responded to my thoughts, and took on the shape of my normal attire. **"And now,** _ **compensation must be paid!"**_

Like a bullet, I took off at high speeds toward my new torture toy.

My all-seeing gaze told me who it was: Killer Croc. Likely trying to find new stomping grounds after getting fed up with Batman's interference. He had a large bag of stolen money in his hand and had just kicked a tanker into a gas station, blowing both sky high. The police were surrounding the area in an attempt to contain him.

I noticed my minions- err, I mean- Michael and Adam, along with Fire, Ice, and Tula (oddly enough), had arrived to stop the Lizard Man. And save the people he was endangering.

Oh ho, but who's going to save him **FROM ME?!**

* * *

**Michael's POV:**

* * *

"You can't escape, Croc!" I shouted at the deformed villain while Tula hit him with geysers of water that Ice quickly froze solid. "Give up now, and there'll be no need for further violence!"

 **"Shut up!"** Croc yelled back as soon as he broke out of his frozen prison, a Louisiana accent clear despite his rows of filed sharp teeth. "I'm through dealing wit de Bat! I'm through dealing with de cops! And I'm through wit dealing wit **you!"** he roared, before throwing another piece of rubble at us.

"Oh, for Christ's sake..." Adam moaned, blasting the rubble midair before it hit anyone. "Can we just beat him up already? I have a schedule to keep."

Before either any of us could answer his good question, the distinct sound of the sound barrier breaking came to our ears. Crashing into the earth, came a fellow superhero...well, super heroine.

She was blonde, with short cropped hair in a bob cut and striking blue eyes. She was _*ahem*_ **ridiculously** well endowed (the jealousy in the eyes of Tula, Fire and Ice did **not** go unnoticed). Her figure was all the more emphasized by the white, legless leotard she wore that had an opening in the chest that slightly exposed...the twins. Along with a short red cape with gold straps. Blue gloves and boots.

Strangely enough, her outfit looked like it was thrown on in a hurry. Her hair was ruffled, lipstick was slightly smeared, and her outfit wasn't adjusted properly (though it kept her 'modest' enough). She was even panting.

"Power Girl?" I asked, recognizing the heroine in front of us.

"Hi!" she greeted, still panting. "I came as fast as I could. Trouble's on the way."

"Not that we're not happy to see a friendly face after having to look at his ugly mug for the past two minutes," Fire said, gesturing to Croc. Said villain growled, but stayed silent for reasons he himself probably didn't even know. "But, uh, why would Croc warrant your help?"

"I agree," Tula said, eyebrows raised in curiosity. "He's not exactly an A-List criminal."

"Fuck you, sea bitch!"

***BANG***

**"HEY ASSHOLE!"** I roared back at him, _Paragon's_ barrel smoking from the shot embedded in the ground right in front of the surprised villain (as well as the girls and the cops). **"SAY ANYTHING LIKE THAT AGAIN, AND THE NEXT ONE'S GOING IN A PLACE YOU** _ **WON'T**_ **LIKE!"**

"You don't understand!" Power Girl urgently exclaimed, getting everyone's attention. "Trouble's coming this way because of **him,"** she said, gesturing to Croc.

"He called back up?!" Ice exclaimed, getting ready for a fight.

**(Play "Get Psycho - Disturbed")**

***STOMP***

"...What da fuck was dat?" Croc whispered is morbid curiosity.

***STOMP***

"Worse," Power Girl clarified. "He pissed off my boyfriend."

***STOMP***

Down the street, all of our eyes looked to see the most terrifying thing we could imagine.

**Duncan.**

A very, very, very, **very, VERY pissed off Duncan.**

"Is...Is that Oberon?" Ice whispered in an equally morbid curiosity. Sure enough, he was all dressed up in his Multiverser outfit, his hood hiding his identity.

***STOMP***

"Yep."

***STOMP***

"Wait... **WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL HIM?!"** Adam, Tula, Ice, Fire, Croc and I all exclaimed in horror after hearing what she said and seeing who was down the street.

"We were in the middle of...our date, and then the explosion happened, throwing a tire right through our window and into our room," Power Girl explained, as if there wasn't a sign of the apocalypse stomping its way down the road. "It ruined the mood for him. And he had been planning a perfect romantic day for the two of us for weeks. Croc...well, he ruined it." The deformed villain looked as though he had realized he had signed his own death warrant. Adam also nervously looked away, as he played a role in that event.

" **TICK! TOCK! CROC!"** Duncan's booming voice called from down the street. We could see from our location that his eyes turned into blood red, draconian slits, his teeth turned into fangs, and **[Master Gear]** was out on his left arm. Oh, and who couldn't notice the black-red flames surrounding the area he stood? **"TICK! TOCK!"**

And **Prime** is supposed to be the one that has all of Hell following him.

By this point, I had already jumped into Adam's arms out of fear, much like Scooby Doo and Shaggy; Tula was shaking like a leaf in Autumn; Fire was frozen stiff in fear, with Ice hiding behind her Brazilian friend; Croc nearly pissed himself; and Power Girl showed no signs of acknowledging her revealed boyfriend as a danger to her person.

"It was nice knowing you, Adam!" I squeaked.

"Right back at ya, man!" he replied. "Right back at ya!"

Duncan's approach was slow and steady. Despite his slow walk, none of us moved or made a getaway. Which would be the **smart** decision. Each step he made shook the earth. Each quake was a symbol of doom. And no one can predict what kind of doom Duncan would unleash on those foolish enough to invoke his wrath. He was a Chaos Entity!

Knowing all this just made it worse!

So, the next move made was the smartest one to make:

 **"...I SURRENDER!"** Croc exclaimed, throwing his arms up. **"I FREAKIN' SURRENDER! JUS KEEP ME AWAY FROM DAT...DAT** _ **THING!"**_

Power Girl, in an attempt to hold off Duncan while Fire and Ice helped the cops take Croc away, flew over to her beau to cool him off. "It's okay, hon," she said, holding him in place as best she could. "He's going to the slammer now. We can start where we left off."

"I can't ignore his sacrilege!" Duncan told her, staring at the terrified criminal going into the armored truck. "I wanna skin him alive and make a purse out of it as your birthday present!"

"Aw, that's sweet," Power Girl cooed, to our great disturbance. "...Against every moral I stand for, but sweet."

"Are we safe yet?!" Adam called out, grateful that Duncan had stopped his approach.

"...Fine," Duncan spat out, as the truck sped away. "I'll stop."

**(End "Get Psycho - Disturbed")**

"Good!" Adam exclaimed, throwing me out of his arms. "See you guys later!" He waved before teleporting far away.

 **"Mother fucker!"** I cursed. **"How could you leave us with** _ **him?!"**_

"Michael?" Tula said, shaking me while I was on the ground. "Maybe we can at least, I dunno, help keep him from going on a rampage?"

"Do you know how **futile** you sound right now?" I asked her with a deadpanned expression.

"Yes, but we're super heroes. Right?" she responded. "We have to at least try."

Damn her politically correct logic.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, but we gotta go. See you around. _**Ha det!"**_ **(A/N: Norwegian for "Bye!")** Ice said in a hurry before she and Fire left the scene.

_'Cowards...oh, who am I kidding? If I could, I'd be flying away with them.'_

"Oh, I know!" Power Girl said, having overheard us. "How about a double date? You two along with us?"

"Uh, I don't know-" I began.

"No. Wait," Duncan said, a sadistic smile forming on his face as he sensed my terror. "That sounds like a **great** idea. Let's do that."

***Gulp***

_'Fuck my immortal life.'_

* * *

**Happy Harbor, July 19, 12:36 EDT**

* * *

To say that this was one of the more awkward moments of my life would be understating things immensely.

I mean, on one hand, I was eating at a five-star Italian restaurant, alongside one of my first friends I made since coming here, and said friend was one of the closest I've made (apart from Duncan and Adam). On the other hand, however, we were pretty much forced to accompany Karen Starr- a.k.a. Power Girl- and Duncan on this little outing.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against Karen. She's a nice gal, once you get to know her (and once you manage to stop staring at her gigantic boobs...which I admittedly have some trouble doing. Don't judge me). It's the fact that Duncan had literally just been stopped from skinning Killer Croc alive half an hour ago that made this uncomfortable.

If there's one thing I've learned to fear, it is Duncan in the middle of calming down. Anything and everything could happen in between.

All in all, though, the restaurant was very nice. We were seated out in a cafe garden underneath an umbrella, with the area deserted except for the four of us. There was a running fountain to our left, along with bushes of beautiful flowers. The sounds of music from a live band could be heard from inside, which added to the ambiance.

"Well," I nervously started, "I have to admit this looks like a nice place. How'd you find it?"

"Oh, ya know," he shrugged. "I know a guy who knows a guy who knows another guy's cousin who pulled some favors from another guy-"

"You own the place, don't you?" I deadpanned.

"Bought it four days ago," he admitted with no same. "I **love** Italian food. Specifically pizza, of course, but damn do they do good."

"Oh, I agree," I said with a smile. "As our mutual friend Dante would say...'Pizza...is the food of the Gods...'"

"Amen."

"So...how'd you two meet?" Tula asked, glad that the tension was eased up significantly.

"It's kind of funny, actually," Karen chuckled. "I was chasing after these goons, I don't even remember what they did, but they were in a getaway car. When I was chasing them, they tried some risky maneuvers...one of which ended up crashing into some game store where a new game was being released, or some nonsense like that."

"I'd appreciate you respecting my time-honored hobby, Karen," Duncan coolly asked his girlfriend. I found myself agreeing with him.

"Oh, be quiet you," she chided him. "So, anyways, it turns out Duncan was there, having camped for the night to get his copy. When the store got trashed, he...well..."

"Did exactly what he would normally do and go nut shit on them?" I asked.

"Pretty much. The first guy almost **exploded** when Duncan punched him," she began telling us. "The other two were too scared to run. During that time, the two of us got into a massive argument. 15 minutes passed and the cops had already taken them away. Neither one of us gave so much as an inch.

"So we ended up agreeing to a brawl outside of the city. I was losing, but I'm a stubborn girl. Eventually, beating each other within an inch of the other's life turned into a hard make-out session," she told Tula and I, ignoring the intense blushes from such a picture. "After that, it was cliché opposites attract relationship stuff. And that's how I ended up dating a Multiverser."

"Well, that's great," I smiled in relief. "I'm glad to know someone can..." I stopped myself after her words registered. **"Are you fuck-mothering** _ **kidding**_ **me?! You know?!"**

"I told her a few weeks into our relationship," Duncan clarified, eating spaghetti. "She and I get along surprisingly well."

I instantly face-palmed at that, groaning at how nonchalant he was being about this. He was the one who said secrecy was key in these kinds of situations! But then, before I could say anything else, I felt a chill down my spine as Tula laid a hand on my shoulder.

"So...Michael..." Tula began, 'smiling'. I instantly began sweating bullets. "He told her **a few weeks into their relationship.** _ **What do you make of that?"**_

 **No one** was stupid enough to ignore the aura of death radiating off her right now.

"Well...you know..." I nervously laughed, fearing for my life.

"Karen..." Duncan smiled, watching his protégé get his just rewards. "You're awesome."

"I know," Karen smiled, finding just as much amusement as Duncan.

* * *

**Third Person's POV:**

* * *

**Mount Justice, July 19, 13:39 EDT**

* * *

_'Well, this could probably be one of the stupidest ideas I could do,'_ Michael thought. _'However, it has to be done.'_

Ever since getting out of Adam's head yesterday, Raven had been locked in her room for practically the entire day. It's an understandable action, what with the near death experience and all the other traumatizing shit that Ruvik left for us in there. Hell, a lesser person would've done the same thing.

 _'But she's my friend. I can't just sit back and watch her close herself off from others like this.'_ Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door and prepared for the worst. "Raven? You still in there?" he asked nervously.

...

...

"...What do you want?"

"I was...I was wondering if I could come in and talk?" Michael was definitely taking a risk here. Odds were that he might end up making things worse.

However, luck seemed to be on his side, as her door slid open moments later to reveal his empathetic team mate in her civilian clothes. She looked a bit reluctant, but said "Sure. Not sure what there is to talk about, though".

The two of them walked in, with Raven closing the door behind them. The room was held a spiritual aura in its decorations, with a meditation mat in the middle of the room, a gothic mirror and dresser on the right-hand side, and a large bookcase on the left-hand side. In the middle of the room was Rachel, who was sitting on the mat in a meditative position.

"Uh, sorry to bother you," he began, "but I...well, I figured that you could use some company."

She simply looked at him, her face unreadable. "Well, I'm not stopping you," she said in a tone that could be mistaken as uncaring, but understood as friendly.

He walked over and sat down next to her, legs crossed as he said "Thanks."

The two of them sat in an awkward silence after that. Neither of them knew what to say, how to break the ice. It wasn't exactly like they could just ignore what needed to be said, though. A few minutes later, though, Raven decided to be the one to speak first. "You don't have to worry about me, you know," she said.

"Wha-? How did you-?"

"Empath, remember?"

A loud slap resounded in the room as he face-palmed himself, completely forgetting she could read emotions like a book. "Right. Forgot about that." A sigh. "Well, be that as it may, I'm not leaving you alone that easily."

"Michael-"

"What you went through in there," he interrupted, "what that...monster did in there...I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I know that you don't want to talk about it right now, and I'm okay with that. But when you are ready to talk about it...well, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon," he finished with a smile.

She was silent for a moment, before asking "You're really not planning on leaving me be, are you?"

"Nope," Michael replied, putting emphasis on the 'p'.

"...Why?"

He smiled. "The answer's simple, really. You're my friend, Raven. And friends have each other's backs," he said, slightly nudging her shoulder. "Just like I'll have your back. Count on it."

Hearing that caused her to blink owlishly. Her whole life, she had repressed her emotions in order to control her powers, as well as to keep herself from being influenced by her so-called father. But at that moment, she felt relief...and happiness. Smiling softly, she said "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," he said. "On another note, I'm curious: do you really need to have your room be so gloomy?"

"...It's just temporary," she replied. "Your brother Duncan pre-arranged this room for me."

"Well, just let me know when you're ready to redecorate," he said. "I'll have this room the way you want it in no time at all."

"I'll keep that in mind," she chuckled. In response, a light bulb shattered overhead, sending the room into darkness.

"..."

"..."

"...You know, I think Duncan has some really durable light bulbs stashed away somewhere," Michael said as he broke the silence. "You wanna...?"

"...Why not?"

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the same time...**

* * *

"So, what did you say this was, again?" Michael asked Vic. The two of them- along with Adam- were in a workshop that the half-robot hero had made from a spare room in the cave. It had only been a week, and yet the whole place already looked like a high tech laboratory.

Currently, the two of them were standing in front of a screen displaying a set of blueprints. **"This,"** Victor answered, "is a little project that I've been working on for a few months now. S.T.A.R. Labs has been helping it get through some beta testing, but it should be good to go in about a month or two."

"...Dude. We are **so** taking that out for a spin."

There was no argument to be found in Adam's tone. And when he used that tone, then he was **going** to do what he said he would. A trait he picked up from Duncan (one of a few).

"This thing is far from complete. It'll be likely a couple of months before it can be fully operational. Mainly cause of the parts, the number of testing I gotta do," Victor listed off, getting nods from us both.

"I've got a guy who could do it in about half the time," Adam responded. "With his help, we could have this baby finished in two months time. Though he'll probably make sure this doesn't end up like... _Project MINUS,"_ he finished, the last two words spoken coldly.

"What's Project MINUS?" Michael asked, genuinely curious about this 'incident' Adam refers to.

"I don't want to talk about it _,_ " Adam said with finality.

Feeling that it was in his best interest to drop the matter, Michael looked back at the blueprints labeled **"Project: Cyberion"** and said "I've gotta admit, Vic, that is going to be a thing of beauty."

"Thanks," the half-human hero nodded. "Main problem with it though is the synchronization rate. Every time I tested the damn thing, it would nearly fry my circuitry."

"I think we can work around that," Adam said. "However, first we'll need to run tests on your technology, in order to extrapolate how much control will be required to operate the device."

Victor shrugged. "Fair enough. Still, I can't help but feel like it's missing something..."

All of them stared at the board in silence. For five minutes. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Michael's head. "Elbow rockets," he said.

Everyone turned to stare at him. "Elbow rockets?" Adam inquired.

"Elbow rockets. With something built into the fists to increase the power of the punch."

Victor looked at the blueprints, visualizing how it would work. Then turned to look at Michael. He then moved Adam to the side, and bumps fists with his Multiverser friend. "Make it happen."

"Happen, it shall."

* * *

**Michael's POV:**

* * *

**Happy Harbor, July 19, 17:55 EDT**

* * *

So, after Tula and I finished our (unwilling) double date with Duncan and Karen (and after getting a talking of a lifetime from Tula), I received a brief, yet to the point, message from the Aspect of Time:

_'Mikey,_

_I've got something I want to show you and Akima. Just came in today._

_Adam'_

I appeared in the Cave about a minute later as I looked around for Adam, who as usual, was almost very hard to find. As far as I could tell, there was almost nobody here. So whatever Adam called me about, he must not want people knowing yet.

Sighing in annoyance, I called out "Okay, Adam, where the fuck are you?!"

"I'm right here," I heard his voice, making me jump as I turned around.

"Jeez Louise, dude!" I exclaimed. "I get that shit enough from **Batman,** I don't need **you** doing it too!"

Chuckling, he replied "Sorry about that. Force of habit."

I sighed in slight annoyance, recalling that this is something I still had to get used to from the guy. "So, what did you call me for?" I asked, looking at Adam, who was standing in front of something that was hidden behind a tarp.

 _ **"What's that?"**_ Akima asked, her holographic avatar appearing by my head.

 **"That** is a gift for Akima," Adam said as he pulled the tarp.

"What do you mean by..." Whatever I was going to say next, instantly died in my mouth as I beheld what lay underneath the tarp. A clear glass case, about the size of a body. Inside...

It was a body.

An actual, organic-looking body, about an inch or two shorter than me. But this body had one distinct feature: the motionless body looked **exactly** like Akima. Dark pink hair- almost magenta- covered the top of her head, with light pink bangs framing the distinct Asian features on her face, trailing down past her shoulders. Light pink circuit patterns ran across her face, as well as the skin tight magenta bodysuit that covered and clung to her shapely body.

Akima continued to stare at the gift before her, digital eyes widened in awe. _**"Is...Is that...?"**_

"A bio-synthetic body," Adam confirmed with a smile. "Designed specifically for you, Akima. It has a port in the nape, so you can upload yourself into it. You'll possess all the senses of a human being, from Touch to Smell. The bio-synthetic circuitry within also allows you to retain access to your technological powers, your mind becoming a freaking super computer. As an added bonus, I uploaded a system of martial arts, so you can better defend yourself."

"Wh...When the hell did you come up with this thing?" I asked softly, finally finding my voice again.

"Well, to be honest, it wasn't my idea." Adam said, opening up the Zeta Tube terminal.

"Then whose idea was it?" I asked, confused at who else would suggest this.

 **"Access granted, Architect, B12. Authorization, Timeshifter, B11,"** the Zeta Tube announced as an easily recognizable being appeared.

It was a Geth unit from the _Mass Effect_ series. Specifically, this one almost looked like a repaired version of Legion, only he was _Matrix_ -themed in terms of his exterior shell. The single eye shone with a green light, but it wasn't like that of the Geth in Project Overlord. No,this eye shone with curiosity. It then turned to look at Adam.

 _"Creator, we received your message. The bio-synthetic platform is complete?"_ the monotonous voice of Adam's personal AI partner, Architect, asked in the same emotionless voice all Geth spoke with. I looked to see Akima had a look that screamed 'Dafuq?!'

"For fuck's sake, Architect, I've told you before: call me Adam!" Adam exclaimed, putting a palm on his face.

 _ **"Architect...you did**_ _ **this?"**_ Akima asked.

Architect then focused his eye back on Akima as he slowly stepped toward her before stopping right in front of me. His eye then lowered to look at her. He then extended his left hand, his main index finger extended the farthest, almost as if offering a handshake. _"We thought you would like it."_

Silence. That was all that reigned in the cave as I stared at the being before me. Silence which was met with a smile from Akima, as she began to happily cry at the sight of her new body.

**"HOLY CRAP!"**

...And like that, the moment was ruined.

Turning around, we saw the surprised faces of the Team as they entered the room. Bearing the most shocked face of them was Wally, who was equally as excited. "You have an A.I.?!" he exclaimed, zooming over as he looked Architect over head to toe. "I heard that there hasn't been a successful attempt at making one yet! What kind of hardware does this use? Operating system? Holy crap, is this thing collapsible?! How did you manage to make this thing?! This is-"

 _"Your vocal processors are running faster than an average human being,"_ Architect interrupted. _"Addendum: Please shut the fuck up."_

...

...

...

"...*pfft* **BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!"** As I hit the ground laughing, everyone else began to join in as well. Except for Wally, who was frozen stiff at the blatant insult and frowned. "O-Oh man, Adam," I managed to get out. "Please tell me he's staying around!"

* * *

**Adam's POV:**

* * *

While Mikey and the others were busting a gut over the burn Architect delivered, I pulled Megan and Raven aside to talk with them. I simply stared at them at first, my eyes like those of a dead man's. "Look, I'm not going to beat around the bush, or act like this never happened," I said. "You two are horrified, and will most likely be forever traumatized by what happened in my head. And I called you both here to say...I'm sorry for I put you through," I finished, lowering my head in shame.

Then I felt a pat on my shoulder and looked to see Raven giving me a friendly smile. "It wasn't your fault, Adam. That... **Ruvik** you mentioned corrupted your security. As Michael said, he's a master of the mind. There wasn't anything you could've done to-"

"Yes, there was! I could've killed him, but if I did, then he'd be more powerful than ever! Then he'd be killing everyone in his path!" I said, my hands balling into fists.

"But if you did, you'd be no better than him," Megan said.

"I know, but..." I sighed. "My whole life, I've had trouble trusting people. Mainly cause if I did, they'd throw that trust away. One day, I told someone I thought was one of my friends a secret I've kept for years, the next day, I'm being laughed at by everyone in school!" I said, recalling a particularly bad memory from my past.

Not exactly my best day, there.

"So yeah, I created that system in case someone I didn't trust got in...they wouldn't come out the same person," I continued. "Hell, the only people I can probably completely trust are Michael and Duncan," I said, noticing their faces smile at the mention of Mikey's name.

"Not sure about Duncan, but I can definitely understand why you'd trust Michael," Raven said with a small smile. "I've only been with him for nearly two weeks, and I already feel comfortable around him. Plus, he doesn't seem like the kind of person who would throw that trust away."

"And if how he treated us in your mind was any indication, he's more kind and understanding than the jerks you talked about," Megan added. As an afterthought, she added "Anyone would be lucky to have him as a friend." Hearing those words got me to mentally smile.

{Oooohohohoho! So, they want him, too, huh?} Sam said with interest. {He's really popular with the ladies...think his pheromone thing is as strong as your own?}

 _'I don't know, but I do know this:_ _ **IF HE DOESN'T NOTICE THIS, I'M GOING TO MURDER HIM!'**_ I thought as I held out my hands.

"So...we cool?" I asked.

Raven and Megan both looked at each other, then looked back at me and smiled as Megan grabbed my left hand and Rachel my right. "Definitely," they both said.

"So," a voice called out, revealing Victor to the rest of us, "I assume that you guys worked out your...uh, differences?"

The three of us smiled, nodding before I said "Yeah, we're okay. Nice to officially meet you, by the way. Adam Verser."

I extended my hand, which he accepted with a firm grim. "Victor Stone. So, is your pal really gonna be staying here?" he asked as we made our way to the others.

"Yep. Architect is pretty much my plus one wherever I go."

"Sweet!" he exclaimed. "Nice to have another techie I can talk to around here."

I raised an eyebrow at that. "What about Akima?"

"Who?" Megan, Raven and Victor asked simultaneously. Apparently, Mikey didn't tell them about her, yet.

With a sigh, I said "Sorry, that's Mikey's place to tell, not mine."

Entering the main hall, we saw everyone gathered around Mikey, staring down at something. "...It's...so small!" Robin stated.

"Hey, don't disrespect the size!" Mikey said. Before I could get weirded out any further, he continued "Trust me, she can work wonders." Realizing what was going on, the four of us walked over and saw what everyone was looking at. In his palm was a holographic figure about six inches in height. It was feminine in appearance, and was a light pink in color with long magenta hair going down to her waist and magenta lines on her body. She also seemed Asian in appearance, and had her hip cocked to the right with her hand on it.

 _ **"Trust me, he's not wrong,"**_ Akima added. _**"In about seven seconds, I could rewrite the security system for this cave and the Watchtower at the exact same time."**_

"...How long have you had her?" Wally asked.

"All my life," he answered with pride.

 _"This unit can change the security systems, though it would only take us_ five," Architect said in a slightly bragging tone. _"Addendum: Technology here is child's play."_

 **"Please** don't let Batman hear you say that," Robin deadpanned. "He takes this kind of stuff very seriously."

_"We shall make no promises."_

"And on that note," I said, gaining everyone's attention, "I say we relax with one of my favorite pastimes."

"Which is?" Donna asked.

I simply grinned. **"KARAOKE!"** I exclaimed. I then disappeared, then reappeared on a stage with a microphone, wearing a cowboy hat without my shades or contact lens, showing my yellow eyes. I had an acoustic guitar in my hands.

It had been years since I played it, but I never told anyone, not even my fellow Multiversers, that I was **KICK-ASS** with an acoustic guitar! And because of that, I put up the act that I was terrible with instruments.

Here's hoping this shocks them.

The others were blinking owlishly. "What the- Where the hell did that come from?!" Donna exclaimed. "Where did he get all of-"

"Don't ask," Michael said with a sigh. "You'll get less of a headache that way. Just...Just accept that all of this stuff is here, and deal with it." Though the others were a bit unnerved by what just happened, they nonetheless did their best to do so.

Good for them.

Architect appeared next to me, holding an electric guitar, and also wearing a cowboy hat. Which, given his head's shape, made him look hilariously **ADORABLE.** I then positioned my pick in my hand, and began to strum.

**(Play "Nickelback - Rockstar")**

Adam:

_**I'm through with standing in line,** _   
_**To clubs we'll never get in,** _   
_**It's like the bottom of the ninth,** _   
_**And I'm never gonna win,** _   
_**This life hasn't turned out** _   
_**Quite the way I want it to be** _

Architect:

_**(Tell me what you want)** _

Adam:

_**I want a brand new house** _   
_**On an episode of** _ **Cribs,**   
_**And a bathroom I can play baseball in,** _   
_**And a king size tub big enough** _   
_**For ten plus me** _

Architect:

_**(So what you need?)** _

Adam:

_**I'll need a credit card that's got no limit,** _   
_**And a big black jet with a bedroom in it,** _   
_**Gonna join the mile high club at thirty-seven thousand feet** _

Architect:

_**(Been there, done that)** _

Adam:

_**I want a new tour bus full of old guitars,** _   
_**My own star on Hollywood Boulevard,** _   
_**Somewhere between Cher and James Dean is fine for me** _

Architect:

_**(So how you gonna do it?)** _

Adam:

_**I'm gonna trade this life for fortune and fame,** _   
_**I'd even cut my hair and change my name,** _

Both:

_**'Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars,** _   
_**And live in hilltop houses driving fifteen cars,** _   
_**The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap,** _   
_**We'll all stay skinny 'cause we just won't eat,** _   
_**And we'll hang out in the coolest bars,** _   
_**In the VIP with the movie stars,** _   
_**Every good gold digger's gonna wind up there,** _   
_**Every Playboy Bunny with her bleached blond hair, and well** _

Adam:

_**Hey, hey, I wanna be a rockstar** _

Architect:

_**Hey, hey, I wanna be a rockstar** _

Adam:

_**I wanna be great like Elvis without the tassels,** _   
_**Hire eight body guards that love to beat up assholes,** _   
_**Sign a couple autographs so I can eat my meals for free** _

Architect:

_**(I'll have the quesadilla, ha, ha)** _

Adam:

_**I'm gonna dress my ass with the latest fashion,** _   
_**Get a front door key to the Playboy mansion,** _   
_**Gonna date a centerfold that loves to blow my money for me** _

Architect:

_**(So how you gonna do it?)** _

Adam:

_**I'm gonna trade this life for fortune and fame,** _   
_**I'd even cut my hair and change my name,** _

Adam:

_**'Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars,** _   
_**And live in hilltop houses driving fifteen cars,** _   
_**The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap,** _   
_**We'll all stay skinny 'cause we just won't eat,** _   
_**And we'll hang out in the coolest bars,** _   
_**In the VIP with the movie stars,** _   
_**Every good gold digger's gonna wind up there,** _   
_**Every Playboy Bunny with her bleached blond hair,** _

_**And we'll hide out in the private rooms,** _   
_**With the latest dictionary and today's who's who,** _   
_**They'll get you anything with that evil smile,** _   
_**Everybody's got a drug dealer on speed dial, well** _

_**Hey, hey, I wanna be a rockstar** _

Both:

_**I'm gonna sing those songs that offend the censors,** _   
_**Gonna pop my pills from a pez dispenser,** _   
_**I'll get washed-up singers writing all my songs,** _   
_**Lip sync 'em every night so I don't get 'em wrong,** _

_**Well, we all just wanna be big rockstars,** _   
_**And live in hilltop houses driving fifteen cars,** _   
_**The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap,** _   
_**We'll all stay skinny 'cause we just won't eat,** _   
_**And we'll hang out in the coolest bars,** _   
_**In the VIP with the movie stars,** _   
_**Every good gold digger's gonna wind up there,** _   
_**Every Playboy Bunny with her bleached blond hair,** _

_**And we'll hide out in the private rooms,** _   
_**With the latest dictionary and today's who's who,** _   
_**They'll get you anything with that evil smile,** _   
_**Everybody's got a drug dealer on speed dial, well** _

_**Hey, hey, I wanna be a rockstar** _   
_**Hey, hey, I wanna be a rockstar** _

**(End "Nickelback - Rockstar")**

I then stopped, and looked at everyone's faces to see their reactions. Considering that most of their jaws were on the floor, and their eyes were wide in shock, I'd say that they were seriously not expecting me to be so good.

Mikey most of all.

"Holy...fucking...shit..." he breathed out.

"Dude! That was **awesome!"** Vic exclaimed. Everyone broke out into applause at that point, with me and Architect bowing in response.

"Thank you, thank you, you're all to kind. And next up on the list iiiiiisssss... **MIKEY!"**

Everyone was beginning to chant his name, egging him on to get up there and show them what he could do. After hearing such praise, he couldn't exactly back down from this, so he leaped onto the stage and grabbed the mic. "Akima!" he called out. "Play 'My Personal Jams', Track 07!"

**(Play "PSY - Gangnam Style" at 1:09)**

Everyone was staring in confusion at the music, with a few recognizing the language as Korean. While they didn't know what was being said, they couldn't deny that the beat was extremely catchy.

Blushing profusely with wide eyes, Mikey exclaimed **"AKIMA! I SAID TRACK 07!"**

**(End "PSY - Gangnam Style")**

_**"Sorry!"**_ the A.I. apologized, a digital blush forming on her face. _**"I played 'Favorite Songs' instead of 'My Personal Jams'. Honest mistake."**_ Looking through a holographic track list (he had some pretty good tunes in his list), she found the correct song. _**"Okay, and here we go."**_

"Now then," he began, "sit back and enjoy." With that said, Mikey pulled out his own cowboy hat as he picked up my guitar. Next to him, Akima materialized in an admittedly cowgirl outfit, a guitar strung across her shoulder.

**(Play "Bon Jovi - Wanted: Dead or Alive")**

As they began to play (which sounded pretty awesome), everyone except myself was left unaware of the presences of two familiar faces (at least to some of the Team) entering the cave, becoming unseen spectators. Not that I was really looking to see who it was.

Eh, I could check after the song.

Michael:

 __ **It's all the same, only the names will change,**  
Every day, it seems we're wasting away  
Another place where the faces are so cold,  
I'll travel all night, just to get back home

__**I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride,  
I'm wanted, dead or alive,  
I'm wanted, dead or alive**

__**Sometimes I sleep, sometimes it's not for days,**  
The people I meet always go their separate ways,  
Sometimes you tell the day by the bottle that you drink,  
And times when you're alone when all you do is think,

_**I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride,  
I'm wanted** _

Akima:

_**(Wanted)** _

Michael:

_**Dead or alive,  
I'm wanted** _

Akima:

_**(Wanted!)** _

Michael:

_**Dead or alive,  
Oh and I ride!** _

_***insert epic guitar solo*** _

_**Oh I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride,  
I'm wanted** _

Akima:

_**(Wanted!)** _

Michael:

_**Dead or alive** _

__**I walk these streets, a loaded six-string on my back,**  
I play for keeps, 'cause I might not make it back,  
I've been everywhere, still I'm standing tall,  
I've seen a million faces and I've rocked them all!

_**'Cause I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride,** _   
_**I'm wanted** _

Akima:

_**(Wanted)** _

Michael:

_**Dead or alive** _   
_**I'm a cowboy, I've got the night on my side,** _   
_**And I'm wanted** _

Akima:

_**(Wanted!)** _

Michael:

_**Dead or alive,** _   
_**And I ride** _

Akima:

_**(And I ride!)** _

Both:

_**Dead or alive** _

Michael:

_**I still try** _

Akima:

_**(I still try!)** _

Both:

_**Dead or alive,** _   
_**Dead or alive,** _   
_**Dead or alive,** _   
_**Dead or alive,** _   
_**Dead or alive** _

_***insert final guitar piece*** _

**(End "Bon Jovi - Wanted: Dead or Alive")**

Right as they ended their little number, it was now their turn to see our reactions. Honestly, I was surprised to learn that Mikey was so good at singing, but not surprised enough as to not join in on the loud cacophony of cheering and clapping.

As soon as the clapping died down, the sounds of two others clapping drew our attention.

To everyone's surprise, Tula and Aquaman were standing right behind us, smiles on their faces as they clapped. "Nice work, Michael," the latter congratulated. "I never would've taken you to be a musician."

Blushing from slight embarrassment, Mikey chucked the guitar (which, for some reason, created a cat screeching sound when it impacted) as he nervously chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Uh, yeah. Well, I don't really broadcast that sort of thing," he explained as Akima materialized her normal attire. "Though I kinda have Akima here to thank for that skill."

Chuckling, the king of Atlantis nodded in agreement. "My king," Kaldur began, "I mean no disrespect, but what are you and Tula doing here?"

"A valid question," he said. "Earlier today, Tula came to me with a request. One that, after some persuasion from her and Duncan, I consented to. Starting today, Tula will be living with you on the surface, as well as train in order to one day join you out on the field."

"I-I hope you'll treat me well," Tula said with a bow. Meanwhile, many of us (Kaldur, Mikey and I, especially) were surprised at our newest team mate.

 _'Adam,'_ Architect asked through our mind link, _'didn't you once inform us that Aquagirl was not supposed to join until after Season 1 ended?'_

_'...Yes, Architect. Yes I did.'_

_'Interesting. It appears that Michael's actions are changing more of canon than any of us anticipated.'_

"Great to have you here, Tula," Michael said with a smile (a somewhat nervous one, might I add).

"Great to be here, Michael," she replied with a hug (which got Michael to freeze up a bit, Wally to drop his jaw in disbelief, Kaldur to look a bit uncomfortable, and some others to look surprised).

Side note: if he doesn't notice their feelings, **I SERIOUSLY AM GOING TO GIVE HIM A BITCH SLAP SO HARD, HE'LL FEEL IT ACROSS THE MULTIVERSE!**

"To be honest, today kinda showed me that there's a lot I could learn and do up on the surface. So I figured that the best way to be productive would be to work alongside you," Tula said as she broke away from the hug. With a wink, she added "Besides, you and Duncan are trouble magnets, so someone needs to keep you two in line."

Duncan's protege was sulking in the corner, a rain cloud hanging over his head as he fiddled his finger on the ground. "Oh good lord, I **am** becoming more and more like him. Someone wake me up from this nightmare."

"Nevertheless," Kaldur said as he chuckled at his friends' suffering, "it is great to have you here, Tula. But what about Garth?"

She looked away in slight shame at that. "I wanted him to come along, but he wanted to focus on his studies. I feel a bit guilty, coming here without him."

"Look on the bright side," Victor cut in. "You'll have a lot of stories to tell your friends now that you're part of a superhero team."

That got her to laugh a bit, realizing that he was right. "So, I know Michael, Adam, Robin, Akima, and Kaldur. But I don't know the rest of you, I'm afraid."

"Oh! I'm Wally, a.k.a. Kid Flash," the speedster introduced. "This is Conner, or Superboy; Vic, a.k.a. Cyborg; Megan, or Miss Martian; Kory/Starfire; Rachel/Raven; Donna/Wonder Girl; and this is Architect, Adam's artificial intelligence." Each of those mentioned nodded in response to their introductions, as Wally continued "So, what do you like to-?"

***K-CHAK***

***BZZZ***

Turning around slowly, Wally froze in fear as Mikey had _Equinox_ primed and ready to pummel, while Kaldur had his water blades out and electrified. "Wally," the former began in an icy tone, "if you value your genitals, and wish to have kids one day: **BACK. OFF."**

The message was received (evidenced by how fast Wally sped out of the room), causing the rest of us to laugh at the wannabe Casanova. He'll never learn.

* * *

**Michael's POV:**

* * *

**Happy Harbor, July 19, 21:47 EDT**

* * *

A few hours later, we finally finished moving all of Tula's belongings into her new room, as well as helping her with arranging it to feel like home (as icing on the proverbial cake, I even added in a saltwater pool, which reached deep down and was fairly wide). After that, Adam decided to take up residence in the cave alongside us, something about how "things here were as interesting as they were in the universe he was inhabiting," or something along those lines.

After that, I decided to go and get some shut eye. Duncan called and said that he was planning something for me tomorrow, and I wanted to get a good night's rest so as to prepare for whatever laid ahead. I changed into my pajamas, which was a pair of blue silk pants and a matching top.

Hey, if you're a demigod and you're going to sleep, you might as well do so in style.

On my way to my room, I bumped into Megan, who was dressed in a pair of yellow pajamas. "Oh, hey Megan," I greeted. "What's up?"

"Oh, not much," she waved off. "Just getting ready for some sleep. Today was...well, an eventful day, all things considered."

I chuckled a bit. "Yeah, that's for sure. Well, I'll see ya in-" I was stopped in my tracks as I felt something pulling on my sleeve. Sure enough, it was Megan, gripping it as she looked a bit uncomfortable. "What's wrong?" I asked in concern.

"...I...I'm sorry to bother you like this," she began, her face gaining a noticeable blush. "But I was...I was wondering if..."

"If what?"

"...If you could...spend the night with me again?" she finished meekly.

I felt my eyes widen a bit at that. "You, uh...you sure?" She simply nodded in response. Deciding that I might as well, I followed her into her room as I did a bit of mind reading. Apparently, she was still really shaken up over the events in Adam's mind. Not that I blamed her, or anything. Anyone would've been traumatized by what happened in there.

Still, it didn't change the fact that she was still suffering from it (and, now that I thought about it, Rachel probably was, as well). I'd have to ask Dinah if she'd be willing to set up some therapy sessions for Megan and Rachel soon, so as to help them with what they experienced in there.

Sitting next to each other on the bed, I asked "You're still shaken up about yesterday, aren't you?"

Megan was silent for a bit, before slowly nodding. "I just...I just don't want to be alone right now."

I pulled her into a one-armed hug, smiling as I said "Don't worry about it. I promise, as long as I'm around, nothing's going to hurt you."

She smiled in return. "Don't make a girl a promise, if you know you can't keep it." As we both started to drift off into sleep, those words resounded in my head.

I had no idea they would hold so much weight to me in the future.

* * *

**Third Person's POV:**

* * *

**Unknown Location, Unknown Time**

* * *

**(Play "The Dark Knight OST - Why So Serious")**

It was dark. Darker then the blackest void. The air was rank, smelling like decaying flesh. The only source of light came from a few small lamps on two tables, revealing two figures. One was wearing dark clothes and armor, sitting as he looked over a series of files; while the other was wearing tattered, burnt clothes as he worked on something whimpering.

 **"So, how goes the progress?"** the dark figure asked.

"It's coming along quite nicely," the tattered man replied. "The subject is responding quite well to the treatment."

**"How soon can you be finished? I have a meeting soon."**

"Patience, my new friend. You can't rush something as delicate as this." As he said this, a clicking noise was heard as he placed something dark purple in color onto the human laying before him on the operating table. Next to him was a crate with various pieces of tech. One of the crates read **"Project: Typhon."**

 **"Well try to hurry,"** the dark figure stated. **"If what you told me about your other friend is true, then we're going to need it up and running as soon as possible.** _ **Before**_ **the Multiversers catch wind of what we're doing, if possible, Ruvik."**

The tattered figure- now revealed to be Ruvik- simply replied "Well, I'm sure he'll appreciate what we're doing for him. A word of warning, though: he'll need psychological treatment as soon as he gets here. He's a little..."

**"I understand. I'll make the necessary arrangements."**

The mental psychopath nodded before returning to work. "I still don't know why you wouldn't want to strike while they're weakened," Ruvik voiced. "Both Michael and... _Adam_ are in a prime position, still recovering from their odyssey. Them **and** their female compatriots."

 _ **"Because he isn't ready to do so,"**_ a new voice stated. Stepping into the light, the familiar form of Lucifer revealed itself. _**"If there's anything I learned from him, it's that he only attacks when he wants to, and even then, it has strategic value. Besides, we agreed that we'd only be targeting the Multiversers. No one else."**_

"That kindness is going to bite you one day.

 _ **"Maybe,"**_ Lucifer shrugged. _**"But that's how we're operating here."**_

 **"Now, you see that?"** the dark figure asked. **"That** **is why he's-"** A light blinked on his arm, a faint buzzing catching his attention. **"That would be my meeting. Try to play nice, you two. And try to keep our guest quiet for right now."**

The two of them nodded, though Lucifer made it a point to audibly scoff.

The dark figure moved through the blackened world and seamlessly into brightly lit, Spartan hallways before entering a room. There were seven holographic panels, each hiding the identity of the individuals in each screen.

 **"I'm glad we could finally have this meeting,"** he began, folding his arms behind his back. **"I have need of services that only your organization can provide."**

 **["That is under the assumption that we would actually help you,"]** L-4 retorted. **[** **"You acquired the information to contact us, but that does not make you our equal."]**

 **["We have no true reason to aid you, as we know not whether it is detrimental to our goals, nor do we even know** _ **you**_ **, specifically,"]** L-6 added.

 **["We have no reason to aid you,"]** L-3 told him, though it was not final. **[** **"But we assume that you will give us one now."]**

 **"**... **You want reasons to help me? Fine,"** he nodded. **"I'll give you several...Vandal Savage. Ra's al Ghul. Lex Luthor. Queen Bee. Ocean Master. Brain. Klarion."**

**["..."]**

**["..."]**

**["..."]**

**["..."]**

**["..."]**

**["..."]**

**["..."]**

**"You...delude yourselves,"** the figure scoffed. **"You mire yourselves in secrecy. You believe simply because you say you are in power, you know how the world should work. You don't want the world to change, you want it to change for** _ **you**_ ** _._ And you are cliché enough to use your convoluted little group's name for a play on words. It's pathetic."**

 **["...Why did you call us?"]** L-1, a.k.a. Vandal Savage, asked.

 **"** **I care not for your schemes, your goals, or your enemies,"** he told them. **"All I care for is the complete and utter destruction of _my_ enemies. All of existence can burn for all I care. If I have to kill everyone in this universe in order to succeed, I ****will.** **Needless to say, however, I have not reached that point."**

 **["And who exactly are your enemies?"]** L-7- Klarion- inquired.

 **"Alexis Verser, LaTrell Verser, Adam Verser, Michael Verser, Prime Death...and Duncan Verser,"** he listed off. **"Whether you know all of them or not, they are my enemies. I wish to see all of them crushed. Broken. Humiliated. Hated...and** **gone.** **Aid me in that, and I will aid** **you** **in return."**

**["..."]**

**["..."]**

**["..."]**

**["..."]**

**["..."]**

**["..."]**

**["...We'll be in touch,"]** Vandal Savage answered before the meeting ended, leaving the black armored man alone.

Or so one would think.

"Dramatic, don't you think?" a mechanical voice asked from behind the figure, red lights blinking on in the shadows.

 **"Theatrics will always succeed in gaining allies,"** he snorted. **"What people cannot ignore, they shall likely follow. You yourself gave those miracle twins quite the speech when you first met."**

"Yes...and then the girl ended up ripping my 'heart' out, so to speak."

**"To be fair, you** _**did** _ **kill her brother."**

"He did that to himself."

 **"Not like it matters now,"** he said, shaking his head. **"We have bigger fish to fry...and these seven, while capable, likely think they can play puppet-master with me. Try to make me dance to their tune."**

"Oh, you shouldn't mention that to me," the other occupant said, mechanical footsteps 'clunking' as he moved closer. "You know me and... _strings..."_

 **"...I've got no strings..."** he quietly sang.

"But now...I am **free..."**

**(End "The Dark Knight OST - Why So Serious")**

* * *

**(Play "Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater Soundtrack: Snake Eater")**

**...**

**YOUNG MULTIVERSER**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**Written by:**

**Hero of the Multiverse**

**...**

**Co-Written by:**

**VindictiveDunc**

**BioshockerN7**

**...**

**Starring:**

**Michael Verser/Atlas**

**...**

**Conner Kent/Superboy**

**...**

**Dick Grayson/Robin**

**...**

**Wally West/Kid Flash**

**...**

**Kaldur'ahm/Aqualad**

**...**

**Rachel Roth/Raven**

**...**

**Koriand'r/Starfire**

**...**

**Victor Stone/Cyborg**

**...**

**Megan Morse/Miss Martian**

**...**

**Donna Troy/Wonder Girl**

**...**

**Co-Starring:**

**Akima/Lambda**

**Duncan Verser/Oberon**

**Adam Verser/Timeshifter**

**Architect**

**...**

**Orin/Arthur Curry/Aquaman**

**Tula/Aquagirl**

**...**

**Vandal Savage/L-1**

**Lex Luthor/L-3**

**Queen Bee/L-4**

**Brain/L-6**

**Klarion the Witch Boy/L-7**

**...**

**The "Man in Black"**

**Lucifer**

**...**

**Special Guest Appearances:**

**Beatriz Da Costa/Fire**

**Tora Olafsdotter/Ice**

**Waylon Jones/Killer Croc**

**Karen Starr/Power Girl**

**...**

**Ruvik**

**Ultron**

**...**

**(End "** **Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater Soundtrack: Snake Eater** **")**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SHIT! OVER 13,000 WORDS FOR THIS CHAPTER! I'd say they were well earned!
> 
> On one end of the spectrum in this little drama, Michael and the gang are getting themselves back to their best through relaxation, Adam, Architect and Tula have joined the Team, Duncan is revealed to be dating Power Girl (THE LUCKY BASTARD!), and Adam has made peace with Megan and Rachel. Plus, Conner discovered Gamer's Rage.
> 
> On the opposite end: forces are now in motion to conspire against the Team; the Light has gained new allies (somewhat), and new forces are coming into play.
> 
> What is this mysterious "Project: Typhon"? Who is this mysterious "friend" of Ruvik? What will happen next in Michael's complicated love life? And will he ever notice the feelings directed toward him?!
> 
> He better, or else Adam will be delivering one hell of a bitch slap.
> 
> Find out the answers to all of these questions...in later chapters.
> 
> Also, before I sign off here, I'd once again like to point out that I have a poll set up on my profile, and I would appreciate it if all of you wonderful readers would take part in it. Every vote counts!
> 
> Anyway, please leave a review and/or comment. BUT ANY FLAMES WILL BE IGNORED AND REPORTED!
> 
> Hero of the Multiverse, signing off!


	8. HACAG (OM)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, I hope you all enjoyed the relaxation of last chapter (God knows the characters needed it). Because now, we're getting right back into the action! Yes, this chapter will have the Young Justice team on their first official mission! However, in addition to the mission in cannon, the Team will go up against an enemy never introduced in the show: the Church of Blood, led by the nefarious Brother Blood. Also, as you are aware by now, there are more members this time. To reiterate, the current roster is:
> 
> Michael Verser/Atlas, Dick Grayson/Robin, Kaldur'ahm/Aqualad, Wally West/Kid Flash, Conner Kent/Superboy, Koriand'r/Starfire, Rachel Roth/Raven, Victor Stone/Cyborg, Megan Morse/Miss Martian, Donna Troy/Wonder Girl, Adam Verser/Timeshifter, and Architect.
> 
> Definitely more members now than before. Let's see what they can accomplish with these numbers.
> 
> And now for the disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice in any way, shape, or form. Young Justice is the property of Brandon Vietti and Greg Weisman, created for Cartoon Network. If I DID own Young Justice, however, Season 3 would be out on Netflix by now! So please support the official release, and get Season 3 out there already!
> 
> Finally, know this: there will be a lot of references in this chapter. I would like to state that I own NOTHING of the franchises said references come from.
> 
> Now then, let's get this started!

_ **Voice Cast (how I envision certain characters being voiced):** _

_**Sebastian Blood IX/Brother Blood = John Boyega (A/N: Think the voice of Finn from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens")** _

_**Architect = for him, imagine the voice of Legion from Mass Effect 2 and 3** _

* * *

**BGMs:**

**Raise Hell - Dorothy**

**Pursuit of the Cygnus Thief - John H. Clarke**

**Bombing Mission - Final Fantasy VII Music Extended**

**Final Fantasy VII - Still More Fighting [HQ]**

**Final Fantasy VII - Victory Fanfare [HQ]**

**Joe Budden - No Church In The Wild**

* * *

**Third Person's POV:**

* * *

**Zandia, July 19, 23:50 EET**

* * *

On the island nation of Zandia, there stood a building secluded from the rest of the land. A church, whose interior was dark and barely lit, save for the torches that provided light through the hallways.

Not many would come to visit this place, unless they had a good reason to do so.

Emerging seamlessly from darkness, the figure in black strode through the torch-lit halls as if he owned the place, unseen by all. Reaching the end, he stepped into a large room of people dressed in red robes, the kind one would find in a cult. Ironic, considering that everyone in that room was a part of a cult.

The Church of Blood, to be precise. A cult that has existed for seven centuries, every member were devout followers of Trigon, a multi-dimensional demon who wished to spread its evil across the Earth, as well as the father of Rachel Roth/Raven. Cheery bunch of fellows, wouldn't you agree?

Standing before the group was a pale skinned man with red eyes dressed in red robes, yet beneath the robes one could tell was an armor for combat. Sebastian Blood IX, a.k.a. Brother Blood, the ambitious 14-year-old High Priest of the Church of Blood. How did he get this position, you may ask? He murdered the previous High Priest- his own father, Sebastian Blood VIII- and took over, as per the group's laws.

Yeah. Fucked up, I know.

Currently, he was busy with continuing his late father's work, by spreading his 'faith' into the U.S. in order to gain more power for his cause of world domination. He would be a perfect pawn to the figure in black.

"My followers," Blood began. "Today, I am pleased to announce that our progress is coming along quite nicely." Everyone was cheering before he raised a hand to silence them. "Even now, we are gaining more followers in the United States. And with them, more loyal followers of Lord Trigon!"

Another round of cheering rang out. **"Praise Trigon! Praise Trigon! Praise Trigon!"**

"Yes, my followers! However, we must remember not to draw too much attention to ourselves," Blood said as he quieted them down. "Even with all our might, we do not yet possess the means to fight our biggest threat: the Justice League."

 **"What a coincidence."** Everyone turned to face to source of the cold voice, eyes resting on the figure in black as he leaned against the wall. **"I can provide you with the power. And the means to acquire said power."**

"Who the hell are you?!" a follower cried out.

The figure simply stared silently at the speaker, which made everyone even more unnerved. **"I am but merely an agent of destruction, just as the rest of you,"** he finally answered, bringing his gaze back to where Blood stood. **"One who is interested in your cause."**

All was silent for a few moments, before Blood smiled widely. "Well, it appears that we have gained a new ally!" he exclaimed as he walked forward. "Tell me, what exactly can you provide us with?"

 **"Four things,"** he promptly answered. **"First: the daughter of Trigon."** Everyone was talking as soon as those words were said. It made sense. After all, what servant of Trigon wouldn't know of his 'Pride'? **"I've done my research, Brother Blood. If you can marry her, then you'll be able to gain the power to unleash Hell upon this world. Which, in turn makes my goal much easier.**

**"Second: how to properly perform this ritual. Unless it is done right, you'll fail. Third: a little something to use against one of her 'protectors'."**

Blood was nodding at this, eager to put whatever this ritual was into motion. "And Fourth?" he inquired.

 **"A means to lure her to you,"** he answered as he brought out a cylindrical device, which held a sickly black crystal in the middle. **"As well as a means to keep her from running away."**

His face broke out into a wide grin. "I'm listening."

* * *

**Watchtower, July 22, 20:59 EDT**

* * *

"This better be good, guys," Duncan said in a testy manner as he, Power Girl, Flash and Captain Marvel took their seats at the table. "I've got a prior engagement with Karen and a chocolate fountain, and I'd rather get to it ASAP, please." Only a few noticed the blush that graced PG's face at that statement.

The rest openly groaned in embarrassment. "Why did we let him join again?" Hal asked out loud.

"Because fuck you. That's why," was the immediate reply.

Clearing his throat, Batman said "If you're done, Oberon-"

"Once more, with feeling!" Clearing his own throat, Duncan said "Fuck!...you, Hal."

Everyone shook their heads, quite used to their fellow League member's antics (and knowing they couldn't do anything about it...save Karen, who could cut him off from sex with her). Hal, meanwhile, simply formed a giant green middle finger, aimed at Duncan.

"If you're done," Batman said tersely, "maybe we can get started on the meeting?"

"There's a few topics that need to be discussed," Superman started, looking around the table. "Who would like to begin?"

"Ever since the discovery of the true face of Cadmus, it's become apparent that the bad guys are wising up," Oliver Queen began. "Plus, with the recent attack against our proteges, with the intent of trying to turn Red Tornado, it's clear that something's up."

"Obviously, they've got lots of funding, connections, and kind of hate us," Duncan pointed out. "There's...let's see here," he began, reaching into his pocket to pull out a piece of paper and began listing names off. "Okay, we've got Vandal Savage, Lex Luthor, Ra's Al Ghul, Ocean Master (lame), that creepy demon kid with a stupid haircut and the cat, Queen Bee...et cetera, et cetera. Doubt they're **all** connected, but there's some ideas."

"Luthor, I could see," Aquaman nodded, "especially if he found common ground with Ra's. Ocean Master, however, is another story. He'd never accept help from surface dwellers. He has too much pride, thankfully."

"And I shudder to think of what would happen if someone like Klarion is involved in all of this," Zatara muttered.

"Most of those names, I recognize," J'onn said. "But this...Vandal Savage is one I don't know."

"He's an immortal," Batman answered. "Lived since the cavemen walked the planet, and has lived through every civilization after that. Definitely someone we should keep an eye on." Though the problem was that no one knew where he was, or his last known location.

Save Duncan, of course. Even now, he had an eye kept on the immortal bastard, plotting all the ways he could ruin his plans.

"From what intel we have on her, Queen Bee's more concerned with ruling Bialya, but she could definitely be connected somehow," Captain Atom spoke up. "Though we should also assume that it could be someone we don't even know about."

"Off-world influences?" Diana proposed.

"Possibly, but there aren't many too interested in Earth who are...subtle," Superman answered, thinking of two certain Alien Warlords. "The only one who'd try to be quiet would be Braniac, but we know how to detect him now."

"And I haven't heard anything big out in the other sectors to be worried about at present," Hal added.

"Still, we should keep a close eye out just in case," John said.

"There is another factor to consider," Diana said. "The supernatural."

"Which parts?" Duncan asked. "We've got dozens of different factors, both good and annoying."

"Take your pick: spellcasters, magicians, sorcerers, Gods, demons..." Dinah listed. At that last part, she noticed Zatara tense a bit. "You okay, Zatara?"

"It's nothing," the magician said. "Just...well, it could be nothing, but..."

"Adding a 'But' at the ending of a sentence means it's not nothing," Barry pointed out. "If there's something up, you can spill it Zatara."

He sighed. "Five days ago, my daughter and I were investigating a disturbance on the other side of the world. Mystical in nature. She insisted on coming along in order to learn...imagine our surprise when we were accosted by demonic shades."

"Which pantheon?" Diana asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Close to the basic modern Christian perception of demons," the Spellcaster elaborated. "The most distinct factor they had were two sets of eyes. That was familiar to me, so I looked that up, and found a name: Trigon."

"Trigon?" Hawkman spoke. "What kind of name is that?"

"Possibly one whose owner doesn't like to have made fun of," his beloved, Hawkwoman, chided a bit.

"Indeed. Trigon is an inter-dimensional demon of great power," Zatara went on to say. "It's said he's conquered nearly all of his home realm, and has amassed a vast legion of followers. Heavens help me, there are even people in our own realm who worship him."

"Yeah, what's that cult leader's name?" Duncan asked, snapping his fingers to jog his memory. "Brother Blood, leader of the Church of Blood! Typical cliche villain name with an equally cliche group name just proves he's overcompensating. And evil."

"The current leader of a familial lineage of madmen," Zatara scowled. "And it gets worse. After we dealt with the shades, one of them said that they would never stop. They would find their 'wayward mistress'; the child of Azarath."

"Azarath?" Batman scowled, thinking. While he himself did not like employing magic, preferring scientific facts, he still made note of certain supernatural aspects. "We've heard that name before."

"It exists in a realm between realms. A home for all who seek peace, and offers sanctuary for the lost. The people are extremely pacifistic by nature, and never seek conflict. Only those who have a connection to magic and the supernatural know of its existence."

"'Knew' of its existence." Duncan corrected. "Last I checked, it was unfortunately... no more."

Zatara sighed heavily. "Unfortunately so. Trigon was summoned years ago to that realm. Not even a minute there, and he turned the entire sanctuary to smoldering rubble...no one survived."

"Then why have I heard of 'Azarath' prior to this meeting?" Batman asked, likely raising an eyebrow behind his cowl. "And I'm not one to study magic."

"I mentioned it once in passing, during a mission with you. Besides, with it destroyed, it seemed unnecessary to mention it again...until my discovery of a survivor," he said solemnly. "Raven."

"So Raven survived an atrocity that leveled an entire realm?" Superman asked. "Then why do you look more suspicious than pleased, Zatara?"

"Think about it, Superman: Trigon was summoned to Azarath through an unknown source. Demons are out and about searching for the only survivor, calling her a 'wayward mistress'. And when we visited this team we've assembled during practice two days after the demon attack. Zatanna sensed demonic energy...coming from Raven."

"Oh no. We're **not** doing this," Duncan suddenly spoke up in irritation. "I know what you're insinuating here, Mr. Mustache. We're not keeping Raven under lock and key because she's Trigon's daughter- and before you start freaking out: yes, she's Trigon's daughter. And yes, I've known the entire time. And no, she's not a big fan of her dad."

"Oberon, how could you have possibly-?"

"I'm not called Oberon for nothing," Duncan deadpanned. "I've been to Avalon. Learned all manner of magic from the Fae, and then branching out. I pegged the Trigon connection the moment we saw her at Cadmus. I put the Father-Daughter thing together later. So I'll reiterate: we are not putting Raven under serious suspicion because of her bastard father."

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to side with him on this," said Billy Batson, a.k.a. Captain Marvel. Noticing the looks from others, he defended "What? He made some good points there. Besides, I think we could at least give her the benefit of the doubt."

 _"/Both Oberon and Captain Marvel are correct,/"_ Red Tornado spoke up. _"/I have been observing all of the team while stationed at Mount Justice. She has shown no inkling of being a threat. If anything, she has bonded well with the others to varying degrees./"_

"If that's the case, I doubt she'd want to put them in harm's way," Dinah said.

"So we're just going to ignore the potential threat living in the old clubhouse?" Barry asked. "Don't get me wrong, she seems okay, but there's the fact that she could unintentionally have them hurt. Like Zatara said, this 'Trigon' is looking for her. And I doubt he's going to care about the welfare of the Team to get her."

"Well then if all else fails, we could go to the ole' super-secret 'Punch-you-in-the-face-until-you-black-out' technique on Trigon," Duncan retorted. "I mean...how many completely over-powered heroes do we know and/or have in this room? Superman is...well, Superman. The Flash can just run around the world and use metric fuck-tons of kinetic force for **one** punch. Batman will cheat. Diana is an immortal amazonian warrior with ties to Hera. Hal and John each have the most powerful weapon in the Galaxy. **I BEAT EVERYTHING. DO I NEED TO GO ON?"**

...To his credit, he made a **very** convincing argument. Though Zatara still had some reservations. "You're sure this won't backfire on any of us, Oberon? I'd hate to have the trust in one of my colleagues be misplaced."

"Would you relax?" Duncan said. "Everything's under control."

"The last time you said that, three of them nearly got shredded," Dinah pointed out.

"Yeah, but that was in Adam's mind, so they get a pass. In the real world, they'll be-"

***RING* *RING***

"*sigh* Hang on, I've gotta take this," he said, taking out his cell phone. "Hey, Adam, what's up?"

**_["MIKEY BLOODY FUCKED UP!"]_ **

The sheer volume of the scream forced him to recoil in pain. Interesting enough, even though the phone wasn't set to speaker, everyone present could hear what was said in perfect clarity. Which left everyone silent as Duncan hung up, reluctantly savoring the taste of the foot he planted in his own mouth.

"...Was it just me, or did he sound British just then?" Barry asked, breaking the silence.

Sighing in frustration, Duncan muttered "I knew I shouldn't have put Mikey in charge of the bomb."

The League's eyes widened in shock after hearing that. While Batman's narrowed. _**"Bomb?"**_ he growled.

"Yeah, the one I said to plant in Bane's factory." Looking at him curiously, he innocently asked "Didn't I tell you about that?"

Batman only glared harder.

* * *

**(Play "Raise Hell - Dorothy")**

**Gotta raise a little hell**

The camera fades in, showing the sun rising above the planet Earth as its rays chase away the darkness.

Soon, the title fades into view.

**YOUNG MULTIVERSER**

The scene changes to show a group of silhouettes, who then scatter into different directions as an unseen enemy opens fire on them.

**Young blood, run like a river**

**Young blood, never get chained**

The camera shows a young man with dark skin, wearing a red and navy blue suit as he holds two curved handles that forms blades of water as he charges at the unseen enemy.

_**AQUALAD** _

**Young blood, heaven need a sinner**

**You can't raise hell with a saint**

Replacing him is a fair skinned young man, wearing a black t-shirt with the Superman logo emblazoned on the chest, tossing a tank at a large robot.

_**SUPERBOY** _

**Young blood, came to start a riot**

**Don't care what your old man say**

The image is replaced by one of a boy wearing a domino mask with a cape and red and black clothing, explosive projectiles in hand as he smirks.

_**ROBIN** _

**Young blood, heaven hate a sinner**

**But we're gonna raise hell anyway**

**Raise Hell**

A blur of yellow passes by, stopping to reveal a young man with fiery red hair wearing a yellow and red bodysuit as he beats a group of thieves with super speed.

_**KID FLASH** _

**Yeah**

**Raise Hell**

A green skinned girl then appeared, her eyes glowing green as she telepathically lifts a section of the ground to block a barrage of enemy fire.

_**MISS MARTIAN** _

**Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell**

The scene changes to a girl with long blonde hair and a green costume, pulling back a bow with three arrows, all fired at an unseen enemy.

_**ARTEMIS** _

**Baby, drop them bombs**

A girl with black hair and a red sleeveless jump suit soared through the air, spinning a golden lasso around as she flew onto the scene.

_**WONDER GIRL** _

**Baby, sell that soul**

Above the sea, a girl with orange skin and long red hair soars through the sky, her green eyes glowing as pink bolts of energy form in her hands.

_**STARFIRE** _

**Heaven fare thee well**

A pale skinned girl wearing a navy blue dress and cloak follows suit, wielding dark energy as she steps out of shadows.

_**RAVEN** _

**Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell**

A man with dark skin, covered mostly in machinery, changes his arm into a cannon pointed at the screen.

_**CYBORG** _

A young man wearing white and blue stands on top of a building, before pulling a hood over his head and leaping off.

**Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell**

He joins the rest of his team below, fighting a large group of enemies with little to no ease.

The unnamed young man leaps into the air, punching his foe and causing the screen to white out.

**Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell**

Fading back into focus, the group of enemies is shown defeated, with the group of young heroes standing victorious as they look towards the screen.

**(End "Raise Hell - Dorothy")**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Heroes and Cultists and Giants (Oh My)**

* * *

**Michael's POV:**

* * *

**Happy Harbor, July 22, 19:03 EDT**

* * *

_'Only a matter of time now,'_ I thought to myself. _'Be honest with me, Masamune-chan: on a scale of 1 to 10- 10 being most likely- do you think something's gonna go wrong on this mission?'_

 ** _'Without a doubt,'_** she answered without missing a beat.

A sigh escaped my lips. _'Wonderful.'_

In this world, it had been less than a few days since she had reawakened from her coma. In that time, it had been weeks since I arrived on Remnant, then traveled to the Multiverser's central home planet, received one of my newest weapons, and got her transferred into said weapon to wake her up. Plus, I found out that Duncan knew about my pheromone problem, and chose not to warn me about it (I got my revenge, though...but Prime-sensei showed up soon afterwards to talk about the Torchwick situation).

All of that, however, was not what had me concerned at the moment. What was, however, was the fact that any moment now, we were going to get our first official mission from the Justice League. And for some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.

 _ **'/It's probably just pre-mission jitters,/'**_ Akima offered.

 _'...Maybe you're right,'_ I thought. _'Still, we should probably be prepared.'_

 ** _'Is that why you put those back on display?'_** Masamune asked, gesturing to my left forearm. Tattooed onto it was a small horizontal line of symbols: a white and blue handgun, a white and blue katana, twin black and gold revolvers, and twin black and gold scythes. **_'Speaking of which, you know that you're gonna get it from them for not bringing them to a fight for so long.'_**

...Crap, she's right.

Next thing I knew, I saw a familiar shape as I walked through the cave. It was Raven, who currently had a frown on her face. "Hey Raven," I said, getting her attention off of whatever she was thinking about.

"Hi, Michael," she said distractedly.

I wonder what she's thinking about.

"Something on your mind?" I asked.

"...I had a bad dream, is all," she said, while looking at her hand, subtle fear in her eyes. "But the way it looked. How real it felt...I just have a feeling something bad is going to happen tonight."

"Like what?"

"Like...if we go out tonight, we might be attacked. Or worse."

Not surprising, considering we were about to go on a mission to stop a terrorist cult from developing a new super steroid, while also fighting off the original owner of said steroid-producing factory and his well-armed force of goons under his employment. Plus the first test subject of the new super steroid.

Walk in the park for a Multiverser.

"Well, I think we can handle anything that gets thrown at us."

"...Somehow, I doubt that," she replied. "There are some things, that people can't handle." To the average bystander, she could've been talking about an actual attack on us. However, those who know the empath best could tell the hidden meaning to her words: how we would handle the revelation of her heritage.

I sighed in realization. She was still afraid of us finding out about who her so-called 'father' was. Worried that if they found out, then she'd lose her friends.

Note to self: address that ASAP.

Wait, don't think about it, or she'll suspect something, think of something else!

"Hey, Mikey, what's going on?" Adam called out.

 _"...Oh thank you, every and all deities listening,"_ I quickly whispered, thankful for the sudden arrival of something to help talk with Raven. During our walk, Raven and I wound up walking by the kitchen where the others currently were gathered (minus Tula, who was fast asleep at this point from a long day of training). Architect and Adam had made a lot of food, and everyone was digging into it (especially those with high metabolisms).

The two of us headed over, with my response to Adam's question being "Not much. Just trying to get Raven's mind off something."

"Really? What's wrong?" Megan asked.

Silently, the half-demon sorceress glared a bit at me before responding "I...had a nightmare, is all. We had gotten into a fight...and lost. Badly."

"How badly we talking?" Robin inquired.

Her response? "Everyone-ending-up-dead badly."

"...Yeah, that's bad, all right."

Nudging her a bit, I said "Don't worry so much over a dream, Raven. If we work together, we can all get out of any fight without a scratch," I said supportingly.

To my credit, I succeeded in making her smile at my attempt to cheer her up (along with the others). "I appreciate your enthusiasm, Michael. But I'm pretty certain fights don't work that way."

"Well, most fights don't involve **me,"** I replied with a goofy smile on my face. That got a small chuckle from her, along with the rest of the Team.

"He's got you there, Rae," the young Speedster said as he got close. "Though maybe we could take your mind off that dream with some fun. What say you and I go hit the town?"

"No thanks," she said without missing a beat.

...

...

...

...Yeah, we couldn't help but laugh at how quickly he got shot down. "I'm impressed, Wally," Donna began, "Looks like you do **everything** fast!"

_"/Indeed. Addendum: you suck with women."/_

He flipped Architect the bird in response, while everyone else laughed harder.

 _["Hello, everyone,"]_ Duncan's voice spoke through the speakers, a merry tone to it. _["This is your friendly neighborhood Duncan Verser, here to give you lot your first official mission. So, if you don't mind, then I'm kindly requesting that once you're all done with your 90210 **horseshit, TO REPORT TO THE MAIN HALL!** Thank you. And don't forget to hide your porn. You filthy little teenagers."]_ With that said, he turned off the speakers. Leaving the Team to stare in silence at them, mouths hanging open in shock.

...

...

...

...

...

...

"...It truly says something when we're used to that by now, huh?" Conner asked, speaking the question on the minds of a few here.

"Yeah," Megan nodded. "Well, better go see what he wants."

With enthusiasm, Adam cried "Team, Assemble!"

...

...

...

"...What," was Raven's flat reply.

"I-It's a...battle cry?"

"...You need to work on it, dude," I offered in pity. Adam merely grumbled in response.

"Why don't we just 'semble' instead?" Robin offered jokingly, once again showing his habit of messing around with words.

Adam, however, wasn't exactly in the mood, as he said "Robin, if you patronize me one more time, I will 'semble' the shit outta you, bitch!" He emphasized his point by bringing up his right hand in a backhand position.

"Jeez, chill out, dude!"

**"I WILL NOT CHILL OUT!"**

Sighing tiredly, I muttered "This is gonna be a **long** mission."

* * *

The Team were standing in the main room as Batman and Duncan entered the area. We were all at attention, save for Wally (who was busy eating a bag of chips). "You said you have a mission for us?" I asked.

"As a matter of fact, we do," the latter said as a screen was brought up. "This is Isla Santa Prisca, a small island off the coast of Venezuela."

"It's also the biggest facility in the world for making an extremely dangerous and highly illegal neo-steroid sold under the street name 'Venom,' and developed by one of my rogues, Bane," Batman continued. "Infrared heat signatures show the factory is still working at maximum capacity. However, all shipments of Venom have stopped. That's where this team comes in."

"We want you lot to go in, observe, and report to see if the Justice League is needed to intervene," Duncan said. "That makes this a **covert** op. That means no fighting unless **absolutely** necessary, no heroics unless you have **no other** option, and no dicking around in the orange soup. Are we clear?"

 _"Yes, Commander!"_ we answered.

"Good. Now, this mission requires two drop zones," he continued as the screen showed a map of the island, two different areas lit up. "I expect you guys to be able to handle this."

"So who's in charge?" Robin asked.

"That would be Adam and Michael," Duncan answered. "They both have leadership capabilities, and can keep the team together when needed. Don't do anything they wouldn't do."

The Boy Wonder shrugged in approval. "At least he's got experience in this stuff," he said, recalling a few times he worked with the brothers in the past.

"On that note, keep this in mind: if anyone goes against orders, I will personally make them go through remedial training," Duncan said with all to wide a grin on his face. "Which will last all day."

A cold pit formed around everyone's stomachs. My own, included. "That's Duncan for 'leaving ya with a warning', by the way," Adam threw in, looking a bit pale from the flashbacks of Duncan's training.

Batman added "Though there will be League supervision to make sure you don't push yourselves too hard." Which meant anyone there would still be worked like a mule. Fun.

"Noted. Alright, team, head too the hangar," I said facing them. "And for the love of God, **PLEASE** don't do anything to go through Duncan's training," I then pleaded.

"Got it/Right/Understood/Definitely/I'm not suicidal." A surge of agreements later, we headed out.

"And Mikey?" Duncan called out, causing me to look back to him. "Two things. One: could you do me a solid and listen to Adam on this mission? It'll be super easy, trust me." I nodded. "And second: do us all a favor. When you're on this mission... **DON'T FUCK UP!"**

* * *

**Third Person's POV:**

* * *

**Caribbean Sea, July 22, 20:08 ECT**

* * *

"I do **not** fuck up!" Michael ranted. "Not intentionally, but still!"

"You **do** fuck up, Mikey. You just do. Accept it," Adam said with a straight face.

Gaping, the Multiverser turned to his friends. "Guys, back me up here!"

"Ehhh..." Robin drawled, shaking his hand a bit.

"He does have a point," Kaldur said.

"Yeah, he seems more crazy than you so I'm inclined to agree for the sake of both sanity and safety," Wally said.

"..." Silently, almost pleadingly, he turned to the others. "There's a hint of truth in his voice," Raven said.

"Yeah, you just seem to have that quirk that screams 'fuck up'," Victor stated honestly. "Sorry."

"I don't know you that well, so..." Donna said.

"I'm with her in this one," Conner said pointing to Donna.

"Same here," Megan said.

"You do remind me a little of this one soldier in Tamaran's military," Kory said. "...his career didn't end well."

 _"/We have witnessed you in the field enough times to see Adam speaks the truth,/"_ Architect said dryly.

"...You guys suck," he muttered dejectedly.

"Sorry if they accept the truth, Mikey. If you did, this would be easier," Adam said, now sharpening his blade. A flipped bird was Michael's response to the Aspect of Time. Adam responded by flipping one of his Silencers into his fist, giving the appearance of a bladed middle finger. "Mine's bigger," he retorted.

"...I hate you so much."

"Lies," came the cool response of the Multiverse's resident time traveler.

"Are they always like this?" Kory asked Architect.

_"/Yes./"_

"Game faces, everyone," Victor said, catching everyone's attention. In front of the ship, the rapidly approaching form of Isla Santa Prisca came into view.

Everyone got themselves ready as they approached. "We're approaching Santa Prisca," Megan said, activating the ship's camouflage mode. "Drop zone 'A' in T-minus thirty."

"Alright, Kaldur, this is your stop," Michael noted. "Take care of the motion sensors on the beach so we can land."

He nodded, getting up and activating his costume's stealth-tech, turning the colors to shades of black and gray. "Ready for deployment."

"Drop zone 'A' in 3...2...1." The floor opened up, dropping Kaldur into the sea with a soft splash. "Perfect landing," Adam said.

Soon enough, Kaldur reached the shore, equipped with heat and motion sensors. Once those were fed a continuous loop, the Team were clear to move above the island. "And here's drop zone 'B'," Adam said as they approached. Inside the ship, Megan had the ship create cables to attach to their belts.

Hooking up the the cables, Wally and Michael then activated their respective stealth-tech modes. While the former's turned gray and black, the latter's turned from white and blue to black and indigo. "One of the coolest additions to our costumes yet."

"Tell me about it," Wally agreed. "I feel like James Bond."

"You **wish** you were James Bond, dude," Adam said cheerfully...and with a bit of a knowing tone.

Ignoring his friend, Wally "Still, how cool is this?" he asked Megan.

"Very impressive," she agreed. With her mental commands, she shifted her clothes into their stealth appearance: a skintight black bodysuit going up to her neck, with a red 'X' over her chest. Her blue cap remained, though now it had a hood attached to it.

Michael and Wally stared at the sight, both finding it...well, they definitely thought it was cool. "So, Conner," Michael said as he got back to attention first, "you sure you don't want your costume?"

"No capes, no tights," he stated. "No offense."

"None taken," Michael shrugged. "Your look works for you."

"It really does," Megan agreed as she looked him over. Realizing her slip up, she hastily added "I-I-In that you can **totally** pull that look off! Just like Michael does with his outfit! Th-That is, the both of you can **really** work in the field in those outfits!" The two men in question just stared at her, causing her to throw her hood up and turn invisible.

 _'Well that was odd,'_ Michael noted to Adam and Architect. _'I mean, Conner, I can understand, but me?'_

_'...'_

_'/.../'_

_'...What?'_

_'Nothing,'_ Adam mentally replied, before quietly adding _'Not yet anyway.'_

Architect's plates shifted a bit. _'/...No data available./'_

One of the best parts of being a Multiverser is that any mental conversations- whether between our mental roommates or others- occurs in an instant for others, yet to the Multiversers, time moves more slowly. This allows Multiversers to come up with solutions on the fly. Or have long, drawn out conversations.

Michael sighed, knowing they knew more than they let on. _'...I swear, ever since Project Freelancer, you two-'_

***SCREEEEEECH!***

At that point, the brakes in his mind hit as Michael remembered **why** they acted so irritably during the project. Specifically, with his interactions with a certain redhead. _'...wait a minute...'_

 _'...Can it be...?'_ Adam's eyes widened, as if the unthinkable had happened. _'I'll have to watch this closely!'_ he said to Architect. _'For science!'_

 _'She acted the same with me,'_ Michael said quietly, _'...like with...Conner...'_

 _'This never happened in my world,'_ Adam said with a mental sigh. _'We just went in, fucked some cultist bitches, and got the fuck out. None of this drama. I made sure we saved that shit for off field.'_

_'"My world"?...Wait...Adam, did you-?!'_

"Michael, you there?" Robin asked, snapping his fingers in front of the Multiverser's face.

"You really need to stop spacing out, bro," Adam quipped, looking like he was focusing on the mission the whole time.

Michael glared at his brother. _'This isn't over, Adam,'_ he warned.

_'It just ended. Now focus on the mission.'_

Grumbling (though promising himself he'd get answers out of Adam later), Michael and the others descended through the hole opened up in the bio-ship's floor, reaching the ground in mere moments. The humid air hit them the instant they left, coupled by the light rain.

All in all, the infiltration went well...

***BOOM!***

...Except for when Conner leaped out of the ship without a cable, thus creating a small crater upon landing (one the others managed to get out of the way of). "Knew I didn't need a line," he said smugly.

"And yet, creating a seismic event may not have helped us much with the covert!" Robin sarcastically pointed out.

 _"/You may have destroyed our cover because you did not take stealth into consideration,/"_ Architect stated, his plates shifting into a facsimile of a scowl. _"/Addendum: Does the phrase 'think before you act' mean anything to you at all?/"_

"Aqualad, drop zone 'B' is good," Megan said.

 _["Head for the factory,"]_ he instructed, _["I'll track your GPS and rendezvous with you ASAP."]_

"Roger that," Victor said.

"Okay, we all know the plan. But before we begin," he said, gaining everyone's attention. Turning to face me, Adam said "Mikey?"

"Yeah?" Michael asked.

"...Don't fuck up," he deadpanned, his face completely straight. "Because if you **do** fuck up, you're gonna have to answer to me. And being my brother will not save you from the wrath of Adam Verser!"

"Oh my- will you **ever** let that go?!"

_**"NO!"** _

* * *

We managed to get quite a ways inland by the time we decided to split into two teams: Adam elected to scout the factory area with Architect and Robin. The rest of the Team would meet up with Kaldur and rendezvous with the others one click from the factory.

...Of course, considering Michael had a good idea of what's going to happen soon, it'd be anything **but.**

"Alright, Robin, Architect and I will recon the place, see what their defenses are like. Everyone else, stay in the shadows," Adam said as he, the Multiversal A.I., and the Boy Wonder went off into the jungle. "And don't fuck up!" he called back/added.

"...That means you, KF," Michael said with a glare.

"Me?! Why me?!"

"Because you're you," was his simple reply.

"Wait," Conner cut in. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Victor asked.

"It sounded like someone's close."

"Uh, we didn't hear- wait, is this a super-hearing thing?" Wally asked.

"He does have good ears," Megan stated, quickly adding "Must come from his Krytonian DNA."

"Keep a sharp ear out, Superboy," I said. "Last thing we need is anyone sneaking up on us. Speaking of which: thermal vision."

Activating his goggle's thermal vision, he zoomed in on a group of heat signatures on the right. "Got a squad of armed bozos coming our way," he observed.

"Two squads," Conner corrected, seeing another from the left with his own natural thermal vision. "But they'll meet each other before they run into us."

"You think they're together?" Donna asked. The sounds of gunfire cut through the night.

"I'd bet against that," Raven responded.

"We need to sneak around, yesterday," I said. "Any ideas?"

Putting on his goggles, Wally said "I'm gonna go scout ahead, see if there's another way around."

"No, dumbass, we can't be seen!" Victor hissed.

"Do you want to get our cover blown?!" Donna added.

"Will you relax? I'll be quick about it."

"Wally don't- **OHHOLYFUCK!"** Before he could stop him, Michael was pulled along with the speedster due to the extra weight, however, Wally was unable to keep his balance, and stumbled halfway through.

**"OH SHIT!"**

**"DAMMIT, YOU SPEEDY SONUVA- OOF!"**

**"OW!"**

**"AUGH, SHIT!"**

**"CRAP! OW!"**

The two of them cursed and grunted with every tumble down the hill, each of them vocalizing the pain of their descent. With a final grunt of pain, Wally and Michael skidded to a halt, the former laying on top of the latter.

Right in between Bane's forces and Kobra's followers.

"...Uh, guys...I think our cover's blown," the speedster said into the comms. Every gun in the area was instantly aimed at the two of them, safeties off once again. "And it **might've** been my fault..." A grenade pin was pulled. "...But I doubt it."

"...You know what? I actually **hope** they shoot you," Michael snarked.

* * *

Meanwhile, the trio of Adam, Robin and Architect were in the middle of recon. As the three moved along the treeline, they stopped at the edge of the forest, the factory in sight.

"Architect, scan the factory," Adam said, as his A.I. partner nodded his head and his upper flaps rose upwards, as if focusing his eye on something.

The next thing both organics saw was the small winged drone Architect had deployed earlier before exiting the Bio-ship flying toward him as it landed on his back, folding back inside his body. He then stood there for a second, processing the information he was now given.

 _"/Scan complete. Defenses are average, armed guards, as well as snipers on the roof. As if they aren't expecting anyone to attack. Or they're simply under the human emotional influence known as cockiness,/"_ Architect said dryly. _"/A coordinated attack could catch them off guard and allow us to neutralize them./"_

"Wow. With Batman, it'd take us about a minute to get all the defenses highlighted, but with you, it takes only a second," Robin said, impressed by Architect's advanced tracking methods.

"I designed him, Robin. So I made sure he had the best tech for the job," Adam said with pride, proud of his creation one-upping Batman. "Okay, things look normal, we should-" Adam stopped talking, noticing something. "Architect, take a picture of that cultist with the vials, and scan the substance. Matter of fact, make a picture of the whole factory's defenses."

 _"/We calculated the probability of you asking us to perform that action to be 99.9%. Therefore, we had already taken the photos,/"_ Architect said, bringing up photos of a chemical vial containing a substance, the factory with defense highlights, and a moving hologram of the factory defenses.

"Good work, dude."

_"/We do our best./"_

"Okay, recon complete," Robin nodded. "Let's meet back up with the others and-"

**(Play "Pursuit of the Cygnus Thief - John H. Clarke")**

The sound of gunfire drew the trio's attention, as well as the screams of panic that followed. _"Shoot them in the asses!"_ Bane ordered in the distance. _"In the asses! Aim for their asses!"_

 _"No, not the ass!"_ Wally begged.

 _"Come on, dude!"_ Michael cried out. _"I use that to sit down!"_

Adam grumbled in annoyance. "Goddammit...Kid Flash fucked up, didn't he?"

 _"/Most likely,/"_ Architect nodded.

* * *

***RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATAT***

***BRAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAK***

**"I FUCKING HATE YOU RIGHT NOW, KF!"** Michael roared over the gunfire. He and the speedster were currently running to and fro, doing their best to avoid getting ventilated with speed and acrobatics. **"YOU JUST HAD TO LISTEN TO ORDERS AND _NOT_ GO AHEAD OF US! AND WHAT DO YOU DO?! THE EXACT FUCKING _OPPOSITE!_ IS TODAY OPPOSITE DAY OR SOMETHING?!"**

 **"LESS BITCHING, MORE RUNNING!"** Wally responded. **"Um, por favor no shooting! Please?! I-I've always loved Mexico!"**

Of course, neither side listened, instead focusing on turning the Multiverser and his friend into pincushions. **"I don't think they care about that- JESUS FUCK!"** the Multiverser cried, a bullet barely missing his crotch.

"Oh for the love of- **ANY TIME NOW, YOU GUYS!"**

At that, Victor laid down covering fire with his canon, knocking others back. This gave Conner the chance to leap off Victor's shoulders, leaping into the air and grappling with Bane. Though the villain held him in a submission hold, Conner quickly turned the tide by sweeping the legs, giving him the leverage to judo flip the masked wrestler into a tree. "Well whaddya know," he commented. "Guess I really owe Michael for those judo lessons-"

"Look out!"

***BLA-KOW!***

A blast from Kory shot down a member of Kobra as he snuck up on Conner, hitting him dead center in the chest. "He gonna be okay?"

"I held back from that blast," she answered. "Though I still don't understand why we should."

"Maybe because we're setting an example," Donna offered, tying up her opponents with her lasso. That confused the Tamaranean princess more **(A/N: In her original appearances in comics, Starfire was much more willing to use lethal force against enemies, though her time with the Titans caused her to hold back her strength)**.

A trio of shadows descended onto the field. Robin hit the ground first, followed by Adam and Architect (both of whom tackled some of Bane's crew). Split kicking two bozos, Robin cried out "What part of 'covert' do you people not understand?!" as Wally and Michael rapidly punched and kicked a guy into submission.

"You wanna blame anyone, blame Speedy Gonzales Jr. for rushing ahead when we told him to stay **put!"** Michael called back, emphasizing his statement by kicking another Kobra cultist in the cojones. He always had an...issue of nutcases related to anything serpent-like (such as Hyrda), and as such, these morons deserve to be hit in the balls.

Wally snarled "The **hell'd** you just call me?!"

His outburst was met with Megan telekinetically slamming two cultists against a tree. "I think he just compared you to a cartoon mouse," she offered.

"An apt comparison," Raven said on beat, binding a few goons together. A strangled cry came from the trees, as Kaldur zapped a Kobra member into unconsciousness as he tried to get away. Like that, they got them all.

_'Not even two minutes. Are we good, or are we good?'_

_**{Considering you went up against flunkies, of course it was easy.}** _

_'...Way to rain on my parade, Weiss-kun.'_

**(End "Pursuit of the Cygnus Thief - John H. Clarke")**

* * *

After tying up Bane and the other baddies, Adam went up to speak with our speedster. "Hey, buddy."

"What's up?" Kid Flash asked, turning around As soon as he did, he recoiled in fear as Adam he saw his face.

A face that looked like he was ready to bring the Wrath of God down on the speedster. "Let me be perfectly clear: if you fuck up our cover again, **I. WILL. MURDER. YOU. IN. YOUR. SLEEP."** Every word was punctuated as the Aspect of Time poked his teammate in the chest.

The young speedster nervously gulped. "Y...Yes sir," he said shakily, scared of the idea of Adam hunting down his home. The image was haunting him enough to not want to piss him off any further, especially since he's related to Duncan. Meaning he'd take this kind of shit to the extreme.

"Glad you can listen to reason," Adam said politely.

Michael stood against a tree, chuckling with his eyes closed while the others talked (and chewed out Wally). _'So, when'd you show up in this world, Weiss-kun?'_

 _ **{About an hour ago,}**_ he responded. To those confused, the young Multiverser recently came into possession of an Artificial Sacred Gear made by Duncan. This weapon held the soul of the dragon Weisslogia, and as such, he now existed alongside Michael's subconscious roommates. As an added bonus, said Artificial Sacred Gear also served as a temporary home for Masamune, until her sword could be fixed.

Plus, the White Dragon was apparently pretty good company.

_'So, thoughts on things so far?'_

**_{Besides the fact that your speedster friend seems to have ADHD, and your brother is batshit, I'd say things are going okay.}_ **

**_'Well at least we have a more saner person in the group now,'_** Masamune stated. _**'That aside, what's the plan, Michael?'**_

_'Might as well stick to canon, for the most part. Of course, we're gonna have to take care of Bane before he betrays us.'_

**_/Thoughts on how to do that?/_ **

"Atlas!" Kaldur called.

 _'Figure that out later,'_ he answered. Walking over to the others, Michael asked "So, what've we got on the bozos?"

"The guys in uniforms? They're members of the Cult of the Kobra," Robin replied. "An international terrorist cult. What's worse is that from what Timeshifter, Architect and I found, their leader is here, too. Kicked Bane and his guys out of the factory and took over the island."

"I'm certain Batman would've known and mentioned that dangerous extremists were running a Venom operation," Kaldur said.

"Batman, maybe," Adam said. "Oberon? He'd leave Atlas and I in the dark just to get kicks out of it." Noticing everyone gaining disturbed looks, he added "But he'd only send us if he **knew** we could handle it. Same thing applies to this situation."

"The situation being that we've got a cult wanting Venom to make super cultists?" Victor asked.

"If that were the case, then they wouldn't be hoarding the stuff," Robin clarified. "They're using it for something else."

The chortling of Bane drew everyone's attention. "Such clever Niños and Niñas," he mocked. "As you said, you don't even know the full story. I can show you the rest, by helping you get into the factory."

"I am reading something about a secret tunnel in his head," Megan said as she tried reading Bane's mind. "But he's hiding something as well...ugh, I can't get anything else from him," she said. Made sense, since Bane trained his mind to resist telepaths.

"Sorry, chica, but Bane is not so easy to break," Bane said smugly. "I'm the only one who knows where the secret entrance into the factory is. So here's the deal: I show you the way in, and you take me with you to fight the snake."

"What makes you think we'd trust you?" Raven sardonically asked.

"Simple: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I just want my factory back. If it means helping you, then so be it."

Humming, Michael muttered "Well, if it gets us into the factory..." Plus, if and when the supervillain betrayed them, they could easily whoop his ass.

Bane smiled at the Multiverser's insight. "So, what do you say, Niño-"

***POW!***

***CRACK!***

Fast as lightning, Michael punched Bane in the face so hard, the impact cracked the trunk of the tree. As the bound man fell unconscious (and thus failing in his attempt to get his factory back), the Multiverser turned to face his stunned teammates. "...Sorry. I just...have a difficult time reigning in my anger when someone calls me that. **Especially** in that accent."

Recalling the fight against Satan, everyone decided to let it slide. "Well, now we have a secret entrance into the factory, and no one to show us where it is," Conner muttered. "What else can go-"

 **"DON'T!"** Michael, Adam, Kaldur, Wally, Robin and Architect shouted at once, making the clone flinch in shock. "Supey," Adam said slowly, "never, under any circumstance, say **anything** like what you were about to say."

"...Why?"

 _"/Murphy's Law dictates that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong,/"_ Architect stated.

"You actually believe that?" Raven asked in disbelief.

"It's happened before, and I'd rather not tempt fate."

"Let's focus on the matter at hand," Robin brought up. "We've got a supervillain cult in control of another supervillain's factory, and if what we gathered is right, then they're also planning on selling the product of said factory to someone. If we don't do something about this soon, then we've got an international incident waiting to happen."

"Alright, then let's call the League, and-"

"We don't have time, KF," Donna cut off. "We have no idea when the buyer will show up, so we need to take care of this now."

"She's right," Michael added. "We need to end this sale before it can even begin."

Scoffing, Wally said "Oh come on, it can't be that bad."

"Is that so?" Adam asked, glaring at Wally, knowing he probably didn't listen to the briefing. "Let me ask you something, Sparky. Do you even **know** what this factory is doing right now?"

"Uh, Batman and Oberon said that it manufactures Venom to sell to the highest bidder," Wally retorted sarcastically.

"Oh yeah, really? Then what exactly is this chemical vial Architect managed to get a picture of?" Adam retorted just as sarcastically, showing the Team a picture of some purple liquid that was clearly **NOT** Venom.

"Well, obviously, that's the Ven-...uh, oh shit," he muttered, realization catching up.

 **"THAT'S RIGHT, SPARKY!"** Adam passionately cried out, channeling his inner Barret Wallace. "We are gonna make Kobra pay for their transgressions against the common people! Brewing a new breed of super steroids for who knows who or what?! By God Almighty, there will be an **avalanche** of justice!"

Hesitantly, Victor asked "And how exactly are we going to-"

"We're gonna blow this mother fucker up."

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

The Aspect of Time's response was so perfectly delivered, that for a moment, no one could speak from shock.

"...What?" was Wally's intelligent response.

"You heard me, Sparky."

"O-Oooooh...yay!" Michael muttered.

"Duncan did fill you guys in on what we'd be doing here, right?"

"I think he neglected to tell us about blowing up buildings," Raven snarked.

"Yeah, I'm with Raven on this," Robin said.

The Aspect of Victory threw in his thoughts by saying "All he told me was 'Hey, Mikey, could you do me a solid and listen to Adam on this mission? It'll be **super easy,'"** the last words said through gritted teeth.

 _"The plan is fairly simple. We will split into three teams,/"_ Architect said, bringing up a hologram of the island with a wave of his three-fingered hand. _"/Team one, which will be lead by Aqualad, will create a diversion, drawing the attention of the inhabitants./"_ He brought up a marker titled "Team One" moving to one side of the island. _"/Team two, which will be lead by this unit, will infiltrate the compound and gather intel as well as sabotage the Venom./"_ A "Team Two" marker showed up inside the factory. _"/Team three, which will be lead by Timeshifter, will plant the bomb inside the factory, evacuate the facility, and detonate the explosive, destroying the factory and accomplishing the mission./"_ Now, a "Team Three" marker appeared, before speeding out of the factory with Team Two and an "explosion" followed, which reduced the factory to digital ash. _"/Once complete, all teams will rendezvous at these coordinates, where we will report back to the Cave,/"_ the Multiversal A.I. finished his plan, highlighting a specific location for the teams to meet, before speaking again. _"/We have already assembled the teams: Team One will consist of Aqualad, Kid Flash, Starfire, Superboy, and Wonder Girl. Team Two will consist of this unit, Raven, Cyborg, Miss Martian, and Robin. Team Three will consist of Timeshifter and Atlas./"_

Everyone was staring at the A.I. platform and his complicated plan. "Oh yeah, that sounds **super** easy all right," Conner deadpanned.

Looking over at me, Adam smiled. "And guess who's planting the bomb."

Now everyone was looking at Michael, who groaned in realization. "Ugh... _me."_

"And guess who's gonna guide you~?" he asked, his grin even wider.

"Oooooh... _you,"_ he moaned.

"That's right! I'm going to be like a spirit animal, only not in your body, giving you advice. Ask me what you should do."

"...Spirit animal, what should I-"

"Don't fuck up!" Adam cut him off, walking off before disappearing out of sight.

"...Is he always like this?" Donna asked.

"All the time," Michael moaned.

* * *

 **(Play** **"** **Bombing Mission - Final Fantasy VII Music Extended")**

As Team One sat around watching the cultists, Kaldur was chatting with Architect. "We are in position, awaiting your signal," Kaldur said, as he heard a mechanical stutter noise in response. **(A/N: Think the typical grunting and chirping the Geth make in the first Mass Effect)**

_["We are prepared to initiate the signal."]_

"Yeah, what is the signal, by the way?" Wally asked, only to receive silence.

 _["...You will know when you hear it,"]_ came the short response before the sound of a comm shutting off was heard.

"Alright, everyone. Get ready," Kaldur said as he and the others sat in silence, waiting for whatever Architect had planned to do.

...

...

...

...

...

"...Okay, seriously, what the hell is he-"

***CRACK!***

The sound and sight of the light near the cultists breaking shut Kid Flash up long enough for all to realize a bullet had hit the light. "Guess that's the signal," Conner observed.

"Go, now!" Kaldur said, as they all rushed out of their cover, ready to fight. Conner struck first, jumping into the fray with a punch that sent one cultist flying into another.

Wally then sped by, dragging the two with him, their faces mashing into the dirt. For added measure, he used them as battering rams to hit another small group. "Beep beep!" he mocked, running away like the Road Runner himself.

Others began to shoot at him in response, until Kory fired a few Starbolts into them, sending them into the realm of unconsciousness. As she did so, another group started shooting at her, forcing her to fly and evade. Donna came to her rescue as she flew into the five cultists, knocking them all down like bowling pins in a single strike.

Aqualad then drew his Water Bearers, the shape of swords appearing as he sent cultist after cultist to the ground.

Eventually, they managed to take out the entire area of cultists, before the sounds of more approaching was heard. "I guess we got their attention," Wally said.

"And now we keep it. Don't let them know of Team Two's infiltration. Architect, Phase One of the plan successful."

* * *

 _"/Acknowledged, Aqualad. Commencing Phase Two,/"_ Architect said, having watched the fight through his sniper scope while burning a hole through the roof he stood on. The hole then fell through, allowing him to drop in and regroup with the rest of Team Two, who had go in while he kept an eye on Team One until their part of the plan was complete.

Looking around, he noticed something next to his feet.

Something that made his plates shift into a wide-eyed expression.

 _'/Architect to Team Two,/'_ he said via mind link, _'/we will be right on your tail./'_

 _'Roger that,'_ Robin confirmed. _'Where do we find you?'_

_'/Look for the moving cardboard box./'_

Silence greeted the synthetic as Architect picked up a large cardboard box, shifting onto the ground so he could cover himself completely in it. As he began his trek with the box in tow, Robin gave a flat _'What.'_

Not even responding, he came up to a guard, one of a few left inside in case the intruders got inside. Making as little sound as possible, he snuck up...and bolted up, grabbing him by the neck and dragging him under the box. "Oh not again-!" we his last words as Architect punched him into unconsciousness.

A few minutes later, he crawled up to the others, who were just mopping up the last of the goons in the server room. "Oh my God, you actually used a cardboard box," Robin muttered in disbelief/fascination.

"How the heck did you manage to not get seen?" Megan asked curiously.

 _"/You would be surprised how often organics overlook a cardboard box,/"_ Architect replied, getting up and setting the box in place. _"/Raven, Miss Martian, stand guard 50 meters from the server room. Keep an eye out for anyone heading our way and contact us if enemies approach./"_

"Just hurry," Raven said as she and Megan flew off. "We don't know when the bomb is going to go off."

"Well, as long as Michael and Adam set it up right, everything should be fine," Victor said offhandedly. Bringing out a cable, he attached it to the server and started a program. "Downloading now."

"Starting a backup drive just in case," Robin added. "Should be a piece of cake."

Architect started his own download of the Kobra-Venom...while also glaring a hole into Victor's head, contemplating the pros and cons of shooting him in the head for what he said.

 _/We hope this doesn't mean anything bad for Adam and Michael/_ he thought to himself.

* * *

**Michael's POV:**

* * *

With the other teams doing their tasks, Adam and I were left to sneak through the factory unnoticed. _'So, any idea on where to put this?'_ I asked, referring to the large bomb I was holding. Seriously, this thing had so much C4 and other explosive materials, if placed just right, this whole building would go up in smoke!

 _'Yeah,'_ Adam responded. _'The biggest, most explosive part of this place.'_

 _'Like that?'_ We had stopped by a series of large vats. Didn't know what was in them, but it had to be something important to Kobra and his goons.

_'Perfect! Now just do as I tell you, and **don't fuck up!** '_

At this, I went to work setting the bomb...right before an alarm rang. _["The fight is a distraction! The intruders are trying to destroy the factory!"]_

 ** _'DID YOU BLOODY FUCK UP?!'_** Adam's voice rang in my head, sounding...British?

What the fuck?

_["Send in Mammoth to deal with them, immediately!"]_

That was when I recognized the voice...as a guard I thought was unconscious. _'I...might have fucked up, yes.'_

Suddenly, giant footsteps could be heard as we turned to see Mammoth bounding in, clearly looking pissed at our attempts to destroy the factory.

 **(End** **"** **Bombing Mission - Final Fantasy VII Music Extended** **")**

**(Play "Final Fantasy VII - Still More Fighting [HQ]")**

The two of us turned around to face the massive disciple of Kobra. "Alright, Mikey. Show me what you got!" Adam said, back to his normal voice.

At that, I nodded my head with a confident grin, exclaiming "Time to cut this guy down a few pegs!" I charged forward and swung **[Aura Radiance]** at Mammoth, who didn't seem fazed by the attack.

"...Wow," Adam deadpanned.

"I-I know, right?" As I asked this, we dodged Mammoth as he charged us. Honestly, I was kinda nervous that he took that strike so casually. "My skills are one of a kind!"

"Are they **really?"** Adam asked sarcastically, effortlessly dodging Mammoth's left arm.

"What? Not convinced? Then check **this** out," I said, as I did the exact same attack on the brute, with the same effect.

 **"THAT WILL! NOT! WORK! THAT DOES! NOT! WORK!"** Adam shouted in exasperation.

 _ **{Yeah, I'm gonna have to agree with him on this!}**_ Weisslogia threw in.

"Trust me." I swung at his head, who was not even affected that much. My nervousness was starting to grow more and more, though I stayed cool on the outside. "I was trained by Duncan, remember?"

"Right now, that fact is truly scaring me!" Adam shot back. "And animals? They can **literally** sense fear!" Mammoth growled at that, turning his glare toward Adam. "There, you see?! It knows I'm afraid!"

"Actually, I think he's just pissed- **SON OF A BITCH!"** I barely managed to dodge that last swipe. "So, uh, suggestions?"

"Try! **Something! DIFFERENT!"**

Thinking fast, I looked around for anything to use...and noticed a nearby water pipe. "Timeshifter, waterbend!" I cried, kicking Mammoth in the face as I did so. Acting fast, I began to channel my inner Fire Bender, working the flames within until I began sparking with electricity.

Realizing what I was trying to do, Adam said "Bringing the rain!" as he forced the water out. With a flourish of his hands, the dazed Mammoth was now soaked with water. And I shot a bolt of lightning out of my index and middle fingers, sending the attack right at Mammoth's chest.

***ZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAPPPPPP!***

**(End "Final Fantasy VII - Still More Fighting [HQ]")**

The electrified supervillain roared as he was sent flying back through the factory, all the way to the other side, until...

***Thud!***

With a dull sound, we had confirmed that Mammoth was now down and out.

**(Play "Final Fantasy VII - Victory Fanfare [HQ]")**

"And that's how I roll," I sighed, putting away **[Aura Radiance]** as I did.

Adam fist pumped the air, exclaiming **"THAT! IS! HOW! IT'S! DONE!"**

"You know, I'm actually a bit surprised," I said while looking in the direction of the roided-out villain. "Who would've thought lightning could hurt a guy like Mammoth that much?"

 **"ANYONE! EVERYONE WOULD THINK TO DO THAT!"** Adam practically shouted in my ear, before we turned around to get back to work. "*sigh* I don't know why I agreed to this bullshit..."

**(End "Final Fantasy VII - Victory Fanfare [HQ]")  
**

* * *

_'Now Mikey, insert the wire.'_

_'I know.'_

_'Make sure the charges are set.'_

_'I KNOW.'_

_'Now, set the timer-'_

_'I don't need you micromanaging me, okay?'_

**_'OH, REALLY? BECAUSE AFTER THE EVENTS OF TODAY, AS WELL AS OTHER PAST EVENTS INVOLVING YOUR FUCK UPS, I WOULD HAVE TO RESPECTFULLY DISAGREE!'_ **

_'Hey, there are other people in this chat too, you know,'_ Kid Flash's voice echoed.

 _ **'SHUT UP!'**_ we both shouted before looking back at the bomb.

_'Now, set the timer-'_

_'I know what I'm doing!'_

_**'That** is an opinion you are having! Now set it to **TEN! MINUTES!'**_

**_'FINE!'_** I said as I set the timer.

**1:00**

_'...Ooooooh...'_ I heard Adam say, slipping back into that British accent.

**_'SHHITT!'_ **

_'Do not!'_

_'I-I-I can fix this!'_

_**'DO NOT!'** _

**_'I CAN FIX THIS!'_ **

**_'BLOODY TOUCH IT AGAIN-!'_ **

**0:45**

At this, I heard Adam taking a deep breath.

I hesitantly tried again.

**0:44**

**0:43**

**0:42**

I then heard the sound of Adam growling and drawing _Muramasa_ , as I turned to see his eyes had turned red. "Uh, Adam...?"

**"...I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU, YOU BLOODY WANKER!"**

* * *

**0:38**

"Okay, data's retrieved," Robin said as he removed a flash drive. "Now what?"

"Now we start sabotaging the-"

 **"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"** His words died as he saw Adam and I running out of the factory, both fearful (though raging in Adam's case).

"...Something went wrong, didn't it?" Victor asked.

_"It would appear so."_

"...Run?"

 _"Affirmative."_ They promptly did so.

* * *

**0:27**

**"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**

Raven and Miss Martian blinked as they witnessed two Multiversers running past. "What the-?"

"Run!" Victor shouted as he and the others ran. "Just freaking run!"

Though floating, they hastily complied.

* * *

**0:20**

"Ohgodohgodohgodohgodoh- **FUCK!"** I cried, as Mammoth came charging into the factory, intent on finishing the fight. **"No time for this!"** I cried out, using increased strength to punch the mutated man in the jaw and send him sprawling to the ground.

He quickly got back up, just to hear Adam scream **"NONE!"** as he punched Mammoth with a haymaker.

Shakily, he tried getting back up...only for Architect to punch him so hard, he flew out from the roof and into the sky.

* * *

**0:12**

**0:11**

**0:10**

_'Hey, how'd the mission go?'_ Conner asked, seeing Adam, Raven, Robin, Megan, Victor, Architect and I run out of the factory like bats out of hell.

 _/We theorize that something went wrong!/_ Architect said running ahead of us.

 ** _'MIKEY BLOODY FUCKED UP!'_ ** Adam raged in the telepathic link.

**_'I DID_ NOTHING _WRONG!'_**

**_'YOU DID_ EVERYTHING _WRONG! YOU HAD_ ONE _BLOODY JOB, AND YOU BLOODY COCKED IT U-!'_**

***KA-BBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!***

* * *

**Thirty Minutes Later...**

* * *

**"-YOU BLOODY _IDIOT!_ HOW COULD YOU HAVE COCKED UP THE _ONE_ BLOODY JOB YOU HAD?! GOD, YOU'RE LIKE AN IMPERIAL STORMTROOPER'S AIMING WITH YOUR SKILLS!"** a still angry and singed Adam raged, still speaking British. He was currently making a small trench in the ground as he marched back and forth, while I was currently on the receiving end of the tongue lashing. One that had been going on for half an hour (right after he told Duncan about my fuck up). **"I fucking _knew_ I shouldn't have given you a passing grade in diffusing bombs! But I didn't want sit through hours of trying to master that bullshit, so I gave you a _fucking_ A! And that choice has come back to bite me in the arse!"**

The rest of the Team were currently trying their best to stay out of it...until Wally opened his mouth. "But...Imperial Stormtroopers don't have aim," the speedster pointed out.

"Yeah, but First Order Stormtroopers are **much** more bloody competent," Adam muttered to himself.

"First Order?" Robin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Wait, you don't know?" Adam asked in his normal accent, before pulling a calendar on his wrist computer, seeing the date. His eyes widened in realization. "Oh shit. You guys have five years till the new movie comes. Well, long story short, I'm a time traveler."

Silence reigned across the area as a result of that bombshell.

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

**"...WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTT?!"**

Until Wally opened his mouth. Again.

"God, I swear you have hearing problems."

"Did you- did you just say- **YOU'RE A** **TIME TRAVELER?!"** Robin choked out.

"You say that like that's the most shocking thing you've heard in your life," Adam deadpanned. "Especially when you live in a world of aliens, magic, gods, demons, artificial intelligence, and super powers."

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"...I think you just broke Robin," I pointed out, concerned that the Boy Wonder was frozen to the spot.

At that, Adam spun around, rage in his eyes again, though not as bad as before. "And I'll break **YOU** if you **FUCK UP AGAIN!"**

I nodded my head in fear, not wanting to experience any more of Adam's infamous wrath. I've seen how far he'd go for simple revenge. I **did not** want to see how far he'd go for fucking up a piece of a mission that **he** led.

...Now that I think about it, what even **is** 'fucking up', really?

**"MIKEY, ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING?!"**

"O-Okay, okay, I won't fuck up like that again!" I managed to get out, backing away from Adam as he got up in my face.

"Good to hear," he nodded. "Now, sit rep: what have we accomplished tonight?"

"W-Well, we stopped Kobra from making more Venom," Megan began.

"And we blew up the factory," Donna added as she gestured to the flaming ruins, "so Bane has nothing to go back to."

"On the downside, though, a lot of Kobra managed to get away during the explosion," Kaldur added. "Including Kobra himself."

"He can't run forever," I said. "Sooner or later, he'll show up again. And next time, we'll be there to bring him down."

"Other than that, I'd say mission accomplished," Robin said, all while admiring the burning building. "Though you realize that you two are gonna have to explain why we went against Batman's orders for Oberon's."

"That's our brother's problem, not ours," Adam and I said at once.

"...Fair enough."

"And with that out of the way, let's get the fuck out of here-"

An eerie red glow from beneath our feet cut Adam off, causing us to look down. Lines of red light spread out, connecting to each other until they formed a red pentagram in a circle.

Oh, and it was magic, too. Fun.

 **"DAFUQ IS THIS?!"** I cried as none of us were able move out of the circle.

 **"I don't know! Why don't you ask it?!"** Adam retorted, as the area suddenly brightened. **"OH, SON OF A BIT-"** He didn't get to finish as the entire team had suddenly disappeared in a flash of light, the only trace of our presence being a scorching hole in the ground.

* * *

**Third Person's POV:**

* * *

**Zandia, July 23, 02:57 EET**

* * *

In the depths of the Church of Blood's sanctum, Sebastian Blood observed the events through a pool of blood. With the aid of magic, he was able to use the spell the man in black taught him to bring Raven to his church, where his followers were waiting for her. The others...well, to him, they'd make good sacrifices.

"I've got you now, Raven. Soon, Lord Trigon will be upon us," Blood said as he gave a savage grin. "Now, come to us..."

* * *

 **"-CH!"** Adam finished as he and the Team had now appeared on the other end of the magic circle. Everyone was flung onto the ground, smoking from the circle that shanghaied them from Santa Prisca. Groaning in pain, Adam looked around as he recovered...and found that they were still in what looked like a jungle, but the area felt...different. Restrained.

Whatever it was, he'd get back to it later. For now...

"Anyone dead?" he groaned/asked.

Everyone groaned in reply, showing they, too, survived the trip. Some threw in a few curses as well.

Getting up shakily, Michael muttered "I don't know why, but I have the urge to punch someone in the balls..."

"...The fuck are you looking at me for?!" Wally cried out, noticing the look in Michael's eyes.

"Well, you are closest."

"You can hurt Wally's balls later," Donna said as she dusted herself off. "In the meantime...any idea who- or what- brought us here?"

* * *

Back in his chamber, Blood gazed through the image...to find they ended up SOMEWHERE ELSE on the island. His response was to breathe calmly, saying...

"God... **DAMMIT!"**

* * *

"Don't know, don't care," Robin replied. "All I care about is getting the heck outta here."

"On it." Michael held out his hand, intent on opening a portal back to the cave...

...

...

...

...

...

...only for nothing to happen. "...Ooooohhh...fuck."

"You can say that again," Adam muttered. "Something's interfering with our powers."

"Mine too," Raven said. "I can't open up a portal."

"Which means someone doesn't want us to leave," Conner said. "We're trapped."

"Who would-" Suddenly, Adam froze, noticing something in the distance...and smirked. "Ah...a victim," Adam menacingly muttered as he dashed off, his Dragon Arm materializing as he seemed to be chasing something.

Or someone.

Everyone tried to catch up with him, but it was in vain as he had already gone out of sight. "Aha! Gotcha, bitch!" came Adam's voice as they finally caught up and saw him pinning what looked to be a cultist to a tree (if the man's outfit was anything to go by).

"Please, don't, I have a family!" the captured cult member pleaded, his eyes closed.

"That's alright, bro. I have a family as well: a beautiful daughter named Theresa," Adam said, with a smile on his face, remembering a part of his life. He was also ignoring the looks of surprise on the rest of the Team's faces at that bit of info. "Now, if it isn't too much trouble-"

The cultist cut him off with a scoff. "How can anyone with an arm like **that** call himself a parent?" he asked, gesturing to the draconian arm. When the others looked at Adam, they could've sworn that his eyes had turned into red slits and black scales started growing on his face. "Preposter-"

He didn't get to finish as Adam tackled him to the ground with his Dragon Arm clawing at the guy's face.

**"AAAAAA-!"**

* * *

"I would like to take a moment..." Adam began, looking at his now blood-stained Dragon Arm, which was currently dripping said substance, "...and apologize for what happened back there."

"...U-Ummm...apology accepted, but you were so busy clawing that guy's face off and tearing up his arm, that half an hour passed," Robin said carefully, not wanting to set the unstable man off again.

"Yeah, well, I just wanted to show that guy what it would be like to be a parent with a messed up arm," the Aspect of Time 'defended'.

"...That's...pleasant..." Conner muttered.

 _"This unit predicted you would react that way upon the enemy's questioning of your parental methods,"_ Architect said. He was used to this sort of thing, as it has happened before.

"Remind me **never** to piss you off," Victor said, suddenly very wary of his team mate.

"Ditto," Wally said, hiding behind the relative safety of Victor's frame.

"You are **much** worse than my sister when angered," Kory noted in awe.

Donna's eyes lit up as she finished processing something. "You have a daughter?" she asked with curiosity.

"Yep. Her code name is Darkborne. She's got my wit, as well as her mother's annoyingly **charming** tendency to cut straight to the point. Overall, she's a good kid."

"You say that as if you didn't know her that well," Raven noted.

"Well considering the time jump I made at that point, I was considered dead for years until I managed to land in the future, where the world was...wait, why am I talking about this to you guys?! I can't jeopardize the timeline!"

"And yet you're fine with jeopardizing our cover by attacking that guy?" Raven sarcastically asked.

To his credit, Adam had the decency to look embarrassed as the others stared at him.

"While we're on the subject, don't you think you went a little overboard with hurting that cultist?" Michael asked. "Especially when he tried running away from you?"

"...Are you questioning my patriotism?"

"Quote, 'I'll burn you all to get that son of bitch,' end quote?" Wally retorted sarcastically through lidded eyes, referring to Adam's threat when he and the team attempted to stop him from harming the cultist any more than needed.

"He was asking for it!"

"But even though you hit him, you somehow managed to hit **EVERYTHING ELSE!"** Donna cried out, pointing the various scorched areas around them.

"Oh piss off!" he shot back. Over their private telepathic link, Adam bemoaned _'I swear, this is starting to turn into a repeat of my world.'_

 _'Which reminds me,'_ Michael began, recalling earlier on the ship. _'Adam...were you in the world of Young Justice as well?'_

He sighed in annoyance, figuring his brother would bring that up again. _'Yeah,'_ he responded honestly. _'Came to my own halfway through the two years you and Duncan spent in this one prepping. Though I spent a week in that world before I helped form the Team. And so far, everything happening so far has proceeded...EERILY SIMILAR to my own world. The crap that happened here on this island in my world...it was very disturbing. Especially since it involved...my...Rachel...'_ Adam said, realization slowly dawning into his voice. He then grabbed my shoulder. _'Of course! This is Zandia, the same island in my world that housed the Church of Blood!'_ **(A/N: Here's a fun fact: in the DC Universe, the island of Zandia really did serve as the home for the Church of Blood. The more you know)**

 _'Church of Blood? I feel like I've heard that name before,'_ he thought.

"Architect, where are we?" Adam asked, already knowing, but putting up an act for the team as Architect pulled up a holographic map.

 _"/...We are on the island of Zandia in Europe,/"_ the A.I. answered solemnly.

Adam nodded his head, though with an irritated look on his face. "Son of a bitch," he muttered to himself.

"What? What's on Zandia?" Robin asked, getting a grim look on Adam's face.

One that told a story of terrifying detail.

"Something like the Cult of the Kobra, but **far** more extreme. Whereas the Kobra saw a man as a god, these guys actually worship a deity. And if they bring him into this world, it could spell the end for all," Adam said, a tone of remembrance in his voice.

"You tangoed with these guys before?" Wally asked, noticing the knowing tone, despite doubting the deity bit, he could still feel the grimness of the time traveler's voice.

"...Time travel is a very dangerous game, Kid. Yeah, I've fought with these fucks before. And I'm not lying when I speak of how much of a threat they can pose."

"How do you know about what they worship?" Kory asked.

"You even certain their 'god' is real?" Wally asked with doubt.

"Because I've fought the bastard myself. And I nearly lost my life doing so."

That stunned all present into silence, allowing Adam to continue speaking. As he spoke, he closed his eyes, the chest portion of his suit shifting away to show his chest.

More specifically, a scar on his chest.

It looked like he had been impaled in the center with a giant spear, as well as the scars of burn wounds around it.

"You see this? I got this when that bastard they call a god impaled me into the ground and forced me to watch as he caused destruction around the area. I was cocky- still am but not as much as back then. I pulled a bad time jump, and ended up in an alternate future, one of many possible futures, where these guys actually succeeded in bringing their god to this world. I watched innocent people die to this monster's destructive power.

"And I may be in a time where they're still alive, but I still have their deaths on my conscience. So you tell me: do I **sound** like I'm talking bullshit right now?" Adam asked, his eyes red with rage, probably remembering his fight with the deity in question. He then closed them with a sigh. "Ever since I left that time line, I swore that if any future that ends in chaos and destruction exists, I will do whatever it takes to prevent it from happening. Because I am the Timeshifter, and it is my duty to protect all of time," he said, with determination in his eyes.

...

...

...

...

 _'...Was it my imagination or did I see an American flag slowly appear in the background as he was talking like one of those movie speeches where someone is talking in front of a flag?'_ Michael thought in slight wonder. Followed by him telepathically asking _'Did you really fight this deity, Adam?'_

Getting a mental sigh from Adam, he replied _'Yeah. Though the way it happened is different from what I told them. Had to say to in a way that made sense here.'_

 _'Fair enough.'_ Switching to actual speech, Michael said "Then the way I see it, they're probably the ones who shanghaied us to this place. So if we want any chance of getting away and keeping them from bringing us back against our will, we have one option: bring them down. Anyone game for this?"

"Like you even need too ask?" Adam said with a dark grin. "Any chance to kick these assholes in the balls again is like Christmas for me."

 _"We'll follow Adam's lead,"_ Architect responded.

"I'm in," Kaldur nodded.

Robin nodded. "Same here."

"...This isn't going to end well," Raven muttered. "But I'm in."

"Ditto," Victor said.

"Don't see any other choice," Conner said, "so I'm in."

"Me too," Megan said.

"I'm with you," Kory nodded.

"Agreed," Donna said.

"Yeah, I'll think I'll be staying here, **away** from the crazy cultists," Wally said, leaning against a tree. And gaining surprised looks from the others.

He might not have believed too much in the supernatural, but if what Adam said was true, he wanted to stay as **far away** from these nutjobs as possible.

"...Sure, you can stay here," Adam calmly relented. "But when we get back, I'm going to shove my fist so far up your **ass,** people are going to think **'Wow,** that is the whiniest looking puppet **I've ever SEEN!'"** he shouted, holding up his Dragon Arm for extra effect.

Said effect was a horrified Wally.

 _"...W-What?"_ he whimpered, absent-mindedly clutching his buttocks.

"The **fuck?"** Michael asked with the same horrified expression.

**"SHOULDER! DEEP! KID!"**

Recoiling in disgust and fear, he said "Okay, okay, I'm going with you!"

"I knew you'd see reason," Adam nodded, willing the Dragon Arm back to normal. Wally merely flipped the bird.

"...You know, a thought occurs," Michael spoke up as realization dawned on him. "If this is the turf of some doomsday cult...you think they might've noticed the explosions Adam made?"

"Like a moth drawn to the flame."

Everyone turned around to the source of the voice. Said source was a pale-skinned young man with a sickening smirk, wearing a blood red cloak, red and blue clothing, and a bone-like headdress. He was flanked by numerous individuals wearing purple robes.

...

...

...

"...You are **so** fired from the leader position," Victor said to Adam with a glare.

"Agreed," Michael growled in irritation. "No kidding, after this, your leadership privileges are revoked."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And just like that, the Team have jumped out of the proverbial frying pan, and into the possibly literal fire. With the Church of Blood surrounding them, and cut off from the Justice League and Duncan, how will they manage to get out of this predicament?
> 
> Find out the answer to that question- and more- in the next chapter.
> 
> Before continuing, I'd like to point this out: yes, an event similar to what happened here (and the next chapter) occurs/occurred in BioshockerN7's story "Multiverser Justice", which chronologically takes place before the events of this story. As discussed between he and I, we agreed to have it as a running gag where events similar to what happened to Adam Verser in his world occurs in Michael Verser in his world as well (much to the former's mental shock).
> 
> Also, for those of you who are also fans of VindictiveDunc's tale "MLTI VRSE", this chapter (as well as the next) take place after his first visit to Terra Infinitas, but before the events of the latest "MLTI VRSE" chapter. Ergo, that means that certain events have yet to happen to Michael (though they will), and he has yet to find his new goal that he attained in that chapter. That being said, he still has [Aura Radiance] and Weisslogia to work with, as well as a secret project he's been working on for the Breach. What is this weapon, you ask?
> 
> Stay tuned to find out. Until then, please leave a review/comment. BUT NO FLAMES!
> 
> Hero of the Multiverse, over and out.


	9. Blood Will Be Spilled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the conclusion to the Team's first mission.
> 
> Now originally, this chapter and the previous one were meant to be one large chapter. However, in the end, I decided against it, feeling that it would be much better to have the chapter be split into two parts so as to not have too much put in.
> 
> Besides, I have future chapters to put more stuff into.
> 
> Anyway, last time, the Team were shanghaied from Santa Prisca and transported to the island of Zandia. Trapped with no way to call for help or leave, they have no choice but to confront the Church of Blood and find a way out...though before they can move out, they are surrounded by the followers of Brother Blood (along with the man himself).
> 
> Before going onward, here's the disclaimer: Neither BioshockerN7 nor I own Young Justice in any way, shape, or form. Young Justice is the property of Brandon Vietti and Greg Weisman, created for Cartoon Network. If I DID own Young Justice, however, Season 3 would be out on Netflix by now! So please support the official release, and get Season 3 out there already!
> 
> Now let's get to the action!

_ **Voice Cast (how I envision certain characters being voiced):** _

_**Trigon = Jon Bernthal (The voice of Trigon from "Justice League vs. Teen Titans")** _

* * *

**BGMs:**

**It's Terror Time Again - Skycycle**

**Halo 5: Guardians OST - Crossed Paths**

**MAD MAX: FURY ROAD SONG - ROAD RAGE By Miracle Of Sound**

**Destiny: The Taken King OST - Regicide**

**Scanty & Kneesocks Theme - I Want You (With Lyrics)**

* * *

**Mount Justice, July 22, 18:56 EDT**

* * *

**Third Person's POV:**

* * *

In the confines of her room, Raven floated in a cross-legged position. Barely any light shone in the room, save for a dimmed lamp and the candles that burned around her. Incense smoke wafted through the air, filling the senses with a calm, focused sensation.

She meditated in this manner every morning, and did the same every night. It was a technique the monks of Azarath taught her to help suppress the more...unwanted side of her life. The side that connected her to her father, a being she wanted no part with.

"By the powers of Azarath, I beseech you," she chanted. "Mother spirit of the nether realm, forgive me. I felt it again...his influence. I fear it grows ever stronger. Guide me, and protect my comrades from him. Give me strength to face the foes that would do us harm. Azarath...Metrion...Zin-"

A sharp, cold air blew through the room.

Raven's eyes shot open as the air snuffed out the candles. Standing up, she looked around for the source of the gust of wind. "Who's there?"

...

...

...

"Whoever's there, I must warn you: you're making a grave mistake," she threatened, her powers flaring up a bit. Her breath was visible in the cold temperature of the room.

A chuckle was her reply. **_"The mistake would be yours."_**

Her heart clutched in fear, dropping down. "No."

 _ **"Oh, but it is,"**_ a demonic voice replied from behind. Turning to face the source, slits of red appeared on the shadows of her wall. Four red eyes snapped open, illuminating the area in a red glow. **_"It has been quite some time, my dear Raven."_**

Stepping back in fear, Raven did her best to stand up to the presence. To her credit, she held fast. "How? How did-"

 _ **"How did I manage to find you?"**_ the demonic voice rumbled. **_"You should know by now: I will always find you, no matter where you are. It is in our blood, Raven."_**

"Your blood is tainted," she shot back, gaining courage from his statement, "and I want no part of it, or you!"

 _ **"DON'T TALK BACK TO ME LIKE THAT, CHILD!"**_ A deep rumble shook the room, destroying it from the ground up. The entire landscape became a burning inferno, with the burning eyes gazing upon her. _**"You and I will be reunited, Raven. And you will be a part of this. Whether you want to OR NOT!"**_

* * *

***GASP!***

In a startled breath, Raven's eyes shot wide open. Looking around, she found she was still in her room, though now in a cold sweat. "...Just a dream," she panted. "Just a dream..." Shaken by the experience, Raven left her room as composed as she could present herself. For her sake, she hoped they wouldn't leave anywhere tonight.

She would later silently attempt to curse Duncan to death when proven otherwise.

* * *

**Chapter 9: Blood Will Be Spilled**

* * *

**Zandia, July 23, 03:13 EET**

* * *

**Third Person's POV:**

* * *

"So, who's this joker supposed to be?" Wally inquired, everyone set to fight.

"Sebastian Blood IX," Adam responded with venom. "Also known as Brother Blood. He's the leader of the Church of Blood; a cult that worships an inter-dimensional demon named Trigon." Raven visibly flinched at that info, slightly stepping back from the cultists. "He's also wanted in being suspected of numerous disappearances and deaths."

"Guilty as charged," the man in question said with a nod, though his eyes were focused on Raven.

"He's the leader?" Kaldur asked. "But he's so young."

Glaring, he said "Do not mistake my youth for a lack of capability, sea-freak." Both our resident Atlantean and the rest of the Team had to restrain themselves from lashing out at the bastard. "I have more than proven my worth as the leader of Trigon's worshipers."

"Wonderful," Wally sarcastically drawled. "We traded in a cult worshiping a psycho for a cult worshiping a dangerous, crazy demonic bastard."

"KF, I know your stance on the paranormal," Michael began calmly, "but now isn't the time for it. Especially since we're surrounded by these guys, who we have no idea what they're capable of."

"Your disbelief in Lord Trigon does not matter," Blood stated.

That caught them off guard. "It...doesn't?" Megan asked.

"Yes. Because whether you want to believe or not, Lord Trigon will return to this world," the cult leader waved off.

"Oh yeah?" Robin jeered. "And what makes you think we're going to stick around for your brand of crazy?"

"Because there's a barrier around the island preventing you from leaving," Blood deadpanned.

"What barrier?" Wally asked as he looked into the sky. "There's nothing-" A flash of sickly purple rippled across the sky, proving him wrong.

"...KF?"

"Yeah, Atlas?"

"Stop talking right now."

"Either way, you. Us. You gonna fail!" Adam said, getting straight to the point.

Chuckling, Blood said "Indeed. You." He chanted briefly, and a series of red, glowing circles appeared on the ground. The light grew brighter and brighter, nearly blinding the Team, until...

***FLASH***

"Us." What was now in front of them were...demons that looked to be the size of gorillas, only difference was they seemed to be on fire. **(A/N: Imagine that they almost look like the Wardens of Saints Row IV.)**

"Oh, well that's just wonderful," Conner muttered.

"Horrifying, more like," Kory shuddered.

Looking to his brother and teammates, Michael pulled out _Paragon_ and _Renegade_. "Shall we?" he asked.

"Why the fuck not?" Adam shrugged, pulling out _Wild Card_ and aiming his Plasma Caster.

"Give the word," Victor said as his arm turned into a cannon.

**"DUST THESE BITCHES!"**

As a single force, the heroes capable of firing projectiles of some sort (Michael, Adam, Architect, Victor, Kory, Raven, and Robin) unleashed a barrage unto those before them. While the cultists ducked for cover, Blood held his ground as the demons jumped forth, taking every single shot onto themselves.

The barrage continued for half a minute, creating a lot of smoke and dust blocking their view. Everyone waited to see the fruits of their labors. And when the dust finally settled, and the smoke cleared, it revealed...

...That their weapons didn't do a thing to their new enemies.

Not. A. Single. Thing.

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...And that terrified them.

**(Play "It's Terror Time Again - Skycycle")**

With a cruel smirk, Blood ordered "Kill them. Leave Raven alive."

As the demons stumbled toward the heroes, Adam quickly grabbed Michael and ran, considering their weapons weren't doing a thing to them.

 **"EVERYONE SPLIT UP AND** **RUN!"**

And split up and run, they did, with Victor and Kory heading one direction, Conner and Megan another, Robin and Wally another, Donna and Kaldur another, and Raven and Architect heading another.

* * *

 **"WHAT THE SHIT WERE THOSE THINGS?!"** Adam shouted, he and Michael running side by side away from the demons they tried, and failed to destroy.

"I don't know, why are you asking me?!" Michael replied, trying not to turn around and look behind them, fearing that the demons would be right behind them.

"Because this has got to be karma from you fucking up!"

**"ARE YOU SERIOUSLY STILL PISSED AT ME FOR THAT?!"**

**"YEAH! BECAUSE IT WAS A SIMPLE ASSIGNMENT! AND YOU FUCKED UP!"** Adam raged, neither noticing the odd patch of grass they were rapidly approaching.

 **"WHAT THE HELL WILL IT TAKE FOR YOU TO GET OVER THAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"** Michael said as both his and Adam's feet touched the patch, which then collapsed under their weight, sending the two Multiversers falling into darkness and screaming their asses off.

* * *

Kory and Victor were running for their lives, still being chased by some of the monsters that had been summoned to attack them. "What do we do?!" Victor asked his Tamaranean teammate, who seemed just as confused as him.

"I do not know! Atlas and Timeshifter's weapons don't appear to harm these creatures, what good would our attacks do?" she asked in return, as they continued to run, hoping they'd lose the seemingly unstoppable monsters this cult had summoned.

"Well, we can't keep running forever!" Victor said, pulling Kory in another direction, which resulted in him falling through the grass, bringing Kori with him.

Their screams slowly faded into the night as they descended into the dark.

* * *

"What are those things made of?!" Wally asked in a panicked tone as he and the Boy Wonder ran through the forest, attempting to lose the demons currently hunting them (though being a scientist at heart, Wally didn't believe they were demons...not that these things terrified him any less, though).

"I don't know! You wanna stop and ask them?!" Robin asked, leaping over broken branches while Wally vaulted over some.

"Yeah, I think I'll just get us out of here instead!" the young speedster said, as he slipped his goggles on, picked up Robin, and started to use his powers to speed them away from the demons.

"Whoa KF, slow down! It's too dark! We can't see-"

Suddenly, he heard Wally give a grunt as he saw the ground getting closer, only for the grass to fall with them, showing a dark hole they began to descend into.

 **"-ANYTHIIIIIIIIIING!"** Robin shouted, he and his friend falling into the hole.

* * *

"Why are we running? We should stay and fight!" Conner exclaimed, being dragged by Megan, who despite her small frame, was a lot stronger than she looked considering she was actually managing to pull him with her.

"Those things weren't even fazed by Atlas or Timeshifter attacking them! I don't think we'd fare any better!" she shouted, telekinetically ripping down trees to block the path behind them in an attempt to slow their pursuers down.

"Well, we have to do something about them! Otherwise, they're going to just keep attacking us!" he said, trying to slow down his Martian teammate, when suddenly, he felt the ground beneath him become lighter, then saw the view in front of him turn into a rapid descent, the screams of Megan above him telling him she was falling as well. "Hold on!" Conner cried, grabbing the niece of Martian Manhunter and making sure he was on the bottom to take the brunt of the fall.

* * *

"What kind of magic are those creatures using in order to shrug off all of those shots?!" Donna asked Kaldur, as the two of them sped through the forest, trying desperately to escape the demons that sought to end them.

"I don't know! But the fact that they shrugged off their attacks shows how formidable they are!" he said, using his Water Bearers to form swords and cut down trees to slow their enemies down.

"But they must have some sort of weakness we can exploit!" she pointed out, which Kaldur nodded his head to show he was paying attention.

"We will worry about that when we regroup with the rest of the team! For now, we must get away from those creatures!" Kaldur said, before suddenly, his feet slipped, and he saw a dark hole getting closer and closer, and then he heard Donna scream as she fell in as well.

* * *

"Where are we going?!" Raven asked Architect, who was currently holding one of her arms as he was running at a speed no one had ever seen him run, a speed she had trouble keeping up with.

 _"/To a location where the enemy will not discover us! Addendum: Anywhere that's not near those things!/"_ the A.I. replied in what appeared to be a...scared tone?

"Could you at least slow down?! I can't keep up with you running that fast!" she asked, which lead to Architect screeching to a halt. He then turned to her, and picked her up bridal style, and continued running, much to her chagrin.

 _"/We have no time to slow down! We must escape these relentless creatures! Addendum: Demons and machines do not mix!/"_ Architect said frantically, still running while occasionally turning his optics around to see that the demons were **STILL** chasing them with a look of hunger in their eyes.

That of course, had the result of making the A.I. give a comically electronic noise that sounded like a scream as he started to run even faster than before.

"Well, keep an eye ahead, you don't know what we'll run-" Raven didn't get to finish as Architect suddenly fell through the grass, having triggered a booby trap neither noticed, leading to the two descending into the ground.

 **"-IIIIIIINNNNNNNNTTTTTTTTTOOOOOOOO!"** her voice echoed as both the daughter of Trigon and the Multiversal A.I. fell into the darkness.

**(End "It's Terror Time Again - Skycycle")**

Her screams eventually got less loud as they tumbled deeper into the hole, a small amount of light becoming visible as they got closer to the ground.

***CLANG!***

That was the sound of Architect slamming loudly into the ground first with her on top of him, making sure she didn't get hurt by the impact. She then saw the sole optic of the A.I. look around the room they were in.

 _"/Running diagnostics check. Optics: Operational. Weapon Systems: Operational. Motion Trackers: Operational. Combat Mode: Ready,/"_ Architect said, as Raven stood up, offering her hand to help the machine up, whose free hand suddenly glowed orange as a holographic gauntlet of the same color appeared. _"/There is minimal light in this area. We will provide light,/"_ he said, raising his arm, lighting the room around them.

"What's that?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

 _"/This is a multipurpose diagnostic and manufacturing tool. It is better known as an Omni-Tool,/"_ Architect explained, as the two began walking, Architect in the front and Raven behind him.

There was nothing but dirt and rocks for miles as they kept moving, Raven feeling like they were walking in circles. Suddenly, Architect stopped moving, his head staring at the floor. She followed soon after...and felt a little sick at what she was looking at.

It was a stain of blood. One that looked to be weeks old, if Raven had to guess.

 _"/Running blood scan,/"_ Architect announced as he knelt down near the stain, his eye most likely taking in every detail about the blood, his tech allowing to pick up on things a normal human wouldn't notice at first glance. _"/Complete. The subject was female, in her teenage years. Blood has been corrupted too much to discern any more information,/"_ the A.I. said, his eye now looking at the hall in front of them. He then stood up to follow, his Omni-Tool showing a blood trail on the floor as Raven followed close behind.

Eventually, they came to a stop at a door.

 _"/The trail ends here./"_ Architect said, drawing a weapon that didn't look like a normal firearm, though considering he was made by Adam, a recently discovered time traveler, it's probably reasonable he'd have access to technology far beyond the current era **(A/N: the Particle Rifle from Mass Effect 3).**

"Well, we won't know what's behind the door if we don't open it," Raven said, her hand now placed against the door as she stood to the side. Architect then aimed his weapon at the door.

 _"/We are prepared for breaching,/"_ Architect said, before his eye seemed to zoom in, as if he was aiming down a scope. _"/Targeting systems enhanced./"_

At this, Raven then activated her powers, her palm glowing black as a blast of energy of the same color shot the door off it's hinges, leading to the Multiversal A.I. rushing inside.

"What do you see in there?" Raven asked, waiting for the response.

 _"/...We have found...something...disturbing,/"_ came the voice of the A.I.

At that, Rachel walked into the room. What she saw...was true to Architect's words. It was **VERY** disturbing.

It was a room that looked like a... **shrine.**

There were candles littered around the room, their light showing a board full of pictures with lines connecting them, pointing out things like:

'Not pure.'

'Unclean.'

'Does not survive the process.'

What made it worse were the pictures next to the words.

They were all women. Teenage girls. And there were red x's across their pictures, x's made of blood, if the messy appearance of each one said anything.

"My God..." Raven muttered, unable to contain the horror and disgust in her voice.

 _"/We recognize these faces. There were missing person reports on all of these women. The police closed investigations on each after being unable to find any signs of where they went. We did our own investigation. We had deduced they were kidnapped by an unknown person of interest. However, we could not discover the culprit, no matter how much we searched. And because of that, they're dead, victims of the Church of Blood's attempts to bring back Trigon,/"_ Architect said, his flaps moving down, and his optic appearing to have a look of...shame?

Despite his mechanical nature, Raven actually **felt** emotions coming from the machine in front of her. He felt ashamed that he couldn't have saved these victims. He felt sorrow at what would happen when their families discovered their fate.

But most of all, she felt his rage.

His **COLD, IMMENSE RAGE.**

And it was all aimed at the Church of Blood.

 _"/The Church of Blood will pay for this. When this mission is complete, we will locate the remaining followers and we **WILL** eliminate them,/"_ Architect said, raising his Omni-Tool at the board, before he suddenly stopped, noticing one picture at the bottom. He then reached his three-fingered hand down, and picked it up. Seeing this, Raven peeked over his shoulder to look at it.

It was a girl standing outside of a book store. She instantly recognized the one in the photo.

It was **herself!**

Noticing the image Raven was staring at, the synthetic's eye whirred in recognition. _"/We remember this day. We were performing maintenance checks when we found you entering the book store. We decided to keep watch over you,/"_ Architect said, pulling up a hologram of what appeared to be footage in his point of view, from a higher angle, seeing Raven enter the store. _"/We were there because Adam had suggested we leave the Cave to- in his own words- 'get a better feel of organic societal norms'./"_

Shocked- and highly disturbed- she asked "How...where did...?"

 _"/It was not us who took this picture, nor did Adam know where you were. We simply found you while we were wandering Happy Harbor,/"_ he gently explained, or as gently as a machine whose voice almost always sounds like he could give less than two shits about anything could be. _"/We do not know who took this picture, but we can assume it was a member of the Church of Blood./"_

"Then that means..." her voice trailed off, horror dawning on her. "...They've been looking for me. They're the reason why I..."

 _"/No,/"_ Architect suddenly stated, making her look at him with confusion. _"/We can see that in your emotional state, you will say these deaths are because of you. You are wrong. Their deaths are because of the Church of Blood's pursuit of bringing your father to this realm,/"_ he said, making Raven look to him in shock at the last words he said.

"Y-You know about-?!"

 _"/We've known about your heritage even before we met you. We are a machine, we do not always let emotion distract us from research. The alternative future Adam spoke of...we were there as well,/"_ he explained, his flaps rising like he was remembering something. _"/We remember that day fully. Every explosion, every innocent death, every ally fallen.../"_ As he trailed off, he turned to look at the stunned Raven. _"/We are a creation of science. Our level of sentience causes organics to fear us. You are a creation of magic. Your abilities and heritage would cause organics to fear you. In a sense, we share common ground,/"_ Architect said. _"/Your past does not matter to us. Only what you do in the present and the results it has on the future concerns us./"_

Raven stood where she was, silent at the words Architect had spoken.

He knew about her heritage...which likely meant Adam- and possibly Michael- knew as well. But none of them seemed to have a problem with it. If two highly advanced beings with high level technology and knowledge of the supernatural didn't have a problem with her origins, then...maybe the others wouldn't have a problem too.

But they were still on an island filled with a cult dedicated to her father's return.

 _'What are we going to do?'_ she thought to herself. And somewhere, to her initial confusion, she then thought _'...What would Michael do?'_

The answer: something likely stupid, if it meant saving someone.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" The two spun around, fighting stances ready as they saw the head honcho himself, Brother Blood. Behind him were more of his followers. "The daughter of Trigon blesses us with her presence, though she keeps...questionable company," he said with disdain upon looking at Architect.

 _"/Blood, Sebastian. Male of 14 years of age. Wanted in various states for charges of grievous bodily harm, sexual assault, and murder,/"_ Architect said, pulling up a hologram of Blood's criminal record as he spoke. _"/You question our team member's associates when you yourself are the leader of a cult dedicated to a monstrous entity. Addendum: Have you looked in a mirror lately?/"_ he asked, sarcasm laced into his words.

Blood's eyes then narrowed. "I will not have me or my brothers and sisters be mocked by a machine! Take them!"

The cultists charged forth, intent on zerg swarming them into submission. The duo managed to shoot them back, putting a bit of distance between the two groups. "Don't think for a minute I'm letting you take me anywhere," Raven said with a glare.

"Do you honestly think you're prepared to fight your way out?" Blood asked sarcastically.

 _"/We are prepared for **anything./"**_ Suddenly, a orange ball of energy shot out of Architect's Omni-Tool, causing an explosion near a wall, staggering some of the cultists, as he turned to Raven. _"/We will keep them occupied for now. You must not let them reach you. Addendum: **RUN!/"**_

**(Play "Halo 5: Guardians OST - Crossed Paths")**

And so, she ran down another open path as Architect followed, crippling any cultist that tried to follow with a blast from his rifle. His auditory sensors picking up another pair of footsteps ahead of him, he took one hand off the rifle, and summoned his right Omni-Tool, firing a Neuroshock at a cultist who tried to catch Raven from behind, the attack immediately knocking said cultist out. He then turned around and proceeded to run after Rachel, tossing down several explosives along the way, blocking their path from the cultists, possibly even injuring a few, but to Architect, they weren't human beings if they were dedicated to a monster like Trigon, so their injuries didn't concern him one bit. Eventually, he managed to catch up with Raven, only to stop as he saw who was waiting for them.

Blood once again stood in front of them, with several cultists around him, smiling at Raven's appearance.

"It is futile to run, Raven. Sooner or later, we will **always** find you, no matter who or **what** you hide behind," he said, once again having contempt in his voice upon noticing Architect.

 _"/You despise us,/"_ Architect said bluntly.

"I despise anything that isn't human," he clarified, "apart from Lord Trigon, of course. Kryptonians, Atlanteans, Martians, machines...they all sicken me. They're nothing like my brothers and sisters. They do not know the glory of Lord Trigon."

_"/The 'glory' you speak of is hell for others. A hell that we will not allow Raven to be subjected to. Addendum: We will not let you take her./"_

At those words, Architect threw an uppercut toward Blood's face, connecting the hit before following up with another that connected, then he went for a third, but Blood ducked under the swing. He then caught Architect's returning swing, and pushed him back. He then ducked under Architect's next punch, before hitting him in the chest.

Shaking his hand to numb the pain, Blood threw his right hand forward, but was caught by Architect's left hand. The A.I. then wrenched Blood's arm to the left, before throwing the Church of Blood leader rolling to the ground. Quickly recovering, Blood shot up with a knee to Architect's chest, quickly throwing the same leg with a kick that pushed Architect back a couple steps.

As Architect regained his balance, Blood went in for a right cross, only for Architect to catch the fist, then flip Blood over him onto the ground, before raising a fist to slam into Blood, who rolled out of the way. Blood then kicked Architect in the face, sending the machine staggering. Rolling into a kneeling position, Blood then jumped up with a knee to Architect's chest, followed by the other knee, and a punch that he had thrown a lot of strength into that snapped Architect's head to the side, before swinging his fist back, smacking Architect again, sending the A.I. to one knee.

Blood smiled at this, readying himself to finish off the machine, when Architect slowly stood up, his back to him, before turning around to look at Blood.

His optic now had a crack on the side, and his head flaps were now lowered, as if narrowing his eye.

Slowly, the cult leader reached behind his back, and pressed a button on a device he had on his person, something an...interested party gave him specifically for this machine.

After a few seconds of staring, the two moved.

Architect took a step forward and threw a punch, which Blood caught, followed by the other hand, which Architect then wrenched from the cultist's hands and slammed into his face. The two then threw simultaneous punches at each other, both catching them, as both tried to gain an advantage over the other. After a knee to Blood's side, the two then switched positions, Blood now on Raven's side and Architect on Blood's.

It was now a struggle as the two pushed against each other, trying to win this game of strength.

But then, Blood gave Architect a knee to his metal chest, then stuck something onto him, which then sparked with black electricity. Architect made a noise that sounded like a scream, mixed with circuits being messed around with as he fell to his knees.

**(End Halo 5: Guardians OST - Crossed Paths)**

"Architect!" Raven cried, rushing to the machine's side, only to have her path blocked by several cultists.

"Why do you allow yourself to befriend this...abomination of man?" Blood asked, his eyes narrowed with contempt at the beaten and restrained form of Architect.

"You don't know him like I do," Rachel retorted.

"Again with 'him.' You do not understand: this is a machine, not a man. It was not born. It was built. Built for only one purpose: to supplant its creator. He is without flesh, without blood, without a conscience, and without a soul. Attempting to treat it like a person is pointless," Blood stated sternly.

At those words, Raven fell silent.

To the normal human mind, Blood's words would ring true about the AI she worked with. But to her, she felt offended at his words. For the machine in front of her was just like her. An outcast from society, despite the technological advancements robotics has made. Though where she seeks to protect the world by isolating herself from it, he seeks to do so by trying to understand them.

She recalled one day before this mission speaking with Architect. She asked him why he wanted to help them, when he didn't have any motive for having to stick around.

His answer was this simple phrase:

* * *

_"Organics fear us. We wish to understand, not incite. Adam created us with the ability to decide for ourselves. We do not help you because we HAVE to. We help you because we CHOOSE to."_

* * *

At this thought of the past, Raven knew why Architect continued to interact with organics despite their fears and caution of him.

He wanted to become more **human.**

Her next words hit all in the room like a bullet. **"...His** name is Architect. And **he** has more of a soul than you **EVER** will," she said with a cold tone, defending her technological companion.

Silence was all that reigned for a moment. Then...

"Blasphemer!" a cultist cried out.

"Traitor!" another yelled.

"Where are my tacos?!" Everyone turned to see a random cultist, who now looked embarrassed. "Oh, were we yelling about the machine? Sorry, thought we were just yelling random things. I mean, liar!" he shouted, leading to numerous other yells before Blood raised his hand, prompting silence.

A disappointed sigh escaped him. "Well, it seems your time away from Lord Trigon's glory has blinded you, Raven. Allow us to once again enlighten you with his greatness. Bring her and the machine to the sacrificial chamber! It's time we bring Lord Trigon to our world," Blood said, as two cultists grabbed her arms, then she suddenly felt something hit the back of her head, now looking toward Architect, who was being pushed forward roughly by the cultists, hatred clear in their movements.

As she slowly went unconscious, she felt one last glimpse of emotion from her A.I. teammate.

Determination. And a mission.

Get her out of the Church of Blood's hands as soon as possible.

* * *

**Some time later...**

* * *

"...Ooooooowwwwww," Michael groaned in agony. "My aching...everything..." He tried to cradle his head, but found something holding his arms in place. Specifically, ropes. If it weren't for the fact that his powers were on the fritz, he'd have broken free already. He then found he was laying on a stone floor. Groaning, he said "Anyone here?"

A series of pained, aching voices responded.

Wally: "Yo."

Conner: "I'm good."

Megan: "I'm okay."

Robin: "Ditto."

Kaldur: "I'm here."

Victor: "Ow."

Kory: "I'm alright."

Donna: "Here."

Architect: _"/P-P-Present./"_

The last response got everyone to look at Architect, and shocked to find him so beaten up. He looked like he was on the receiving end of a beating at the hands of a stampede, with how dented he was. Then, a thought occurred. "Wait...where's Adam?" Megan asked.

"Don't know," Michael said as he sat up. "He and I got separated falling through the tunnels. Hopefully, he's evading the asshats that attacked us."

"Here's hoping," Donna groggily agreed. "However, that brings up another question: where are we?"

"I'll tell you where we aren't," Robin noted with a int of dread, causing everyone to take in their surroundings. "Somewhere safe."

They were in an extremely large chamber, lit by dozens of torches. In the middle of the room was a large pool...a pool filled with bubbling, boiling blood. At the front of the chamber stood an altar, upon which Brother Blood stood reciting chants of some sort. Raven stood next to him, though not by choice. She was held in place by chains, enchanted to keep her from breaking free easily.

What was most noticeable about her, though, was her attire: a completely white version of her usual outfit.

"...Well, this looks great," Wally stated, his voice full of sarcasm, before he focused on Raven. "Hang on, Rae, we'll get you out of there!" He tried to free himself, to no avail. "Somehow."

At that moment, the cult leader seemed to remember that he had others present in the chamber. Chuckling, he turned around to address his captives. "I was beginning to think you'd sleep through the fun," he said with a sickening smiled. "But you've woken up just in time for things to begin."

"For what?" Conner asked, struggling to break free. Bastard must've laced the ropes with kryptonite.

"Why, the beginning of a new era, of course!" Brother Blood answered, the cultists around him cheering.

"Well, this 'new era' seems like a bad date waiting to happen, so I'd rather **not** experience it!" Robin quipped, trying to see if any of his gadgets could get him out of his restraints.

secs ago"I'm afraid you have no say in the matter, Boy Wonder," Blood retorted, "so please try to look through your emptied belt. As well as all of the other secret gadgets my followers and I took off your person." As he said this, he gestured to a pile of tools and gadgets near the altar. Suffice it to say, it was impressive. "Though to be honest, I'm impressed you had that many on you."

"It pays to be prepared for anything," Robin shot back.

Chuckling, the leader of the cultists said "Indeed."

"You will not get away with what you are trying to achieve, Blood!" Aqualad shouted.

"I already have, evidenced by your restraints preventing you from stopping me," Blood answered. "Though one of your colleagues is missing, my brothers and sisters will find him soon enough," referring to Adam not being among the captured.

"Sir, she's waking up," a cultist said.

Raven began to groan a bit, signaling that she was indeed rejoining the land of the conscious. She tried moving her arms, but found them restrained by the chains. As she fully woke up, her vision adjusted enough to see her surroundings, allowing her eyes to widen in horror.

Grinning, Blood said "And so, the bride to be has joined us. Everything is finally ready."

"Don't try it, you bastard!" Victor cried, attempting to summon his cybernetic weapons.

***ZZZAAAAPPPPP!***

Victor screamed in agony as his cybernetics backfired on him, causing him pain.

"Vic!" Wally shouted in concern before snapping his head at Blood, rage in his eyes. "What did you do to him?!"

"You think we were unprepared for you lot? Each and every one of you are outfitted with a collar that either negates or turns your abilities back on you," he said, pointing out that each of the Team had a collar on them. "The same goes for Raven, except her suppressors come from the chains."

"All except for Timeshifter. You haven't found him, therefore you are still vulnerable," Donna stated smugly.

"Not for long, Amazonian," Blood sneered, walking over to the Team as he spoke. Stopping near them, he continued "Once the ritual is finished, with Raven by my side, Trigon shall be released unto this world. And there's nothing you lot can do about it except accept it."

The Team's eyes narrowed in anger, especially those of the Multiverser present among them. "An interesting speech, to be sure," Michael sarcastically said as he got up. "Allow me to present my thoughts on the matter."

***CRACK!***

With unrelenting force, Michael quickly shot his leg out and buried his foot into Blood's crotch, sending the cult leader stumbling back as he howled and clutched his groin in pain. Several cultists restrained the Multiverser at that point, pushing him down onto his knees as they tightened the ropes.

Huffing in pain, the currently red-faced leader of the cultists snarled through the pain in his lower half. "Son of a- **you kicked me in the dick!"** he cried out, two cultists helping him up.

"And we're gonna do a whole lot worse as soon as we get out of these ropes!" Wally shot back.

Blood started to reach a level of rage that threatened to boil over. As he reached behind his cloak to grab something...

 **"NO!"** Raven shouted, trying to reach her hands out to stop Blood. Softly, almost in defeat, she said "Don't kill them...I'll...do what you want..."

Breathing heavily, Brother Blood allowed himself to calm down enough to bring his hand out from behind him. He then smirked in smug victory, saying "Well now...it seems she's finally resigned herself to her fate."

"You really think we're just going to let you do this?" Kory asked angrily.

"What you want is of no consequence, alien harlot," he waved off. "The Daughter of Trigon's fate is set in stone. Nothing can change that."

 _'Tell that to Adam,'_ everyone on the Team thought to themselves, remembering Adam's words about making sure anything leading to a chaotic future would be stopped by him. However, Blood's words made them notice something...

"Wait...'Daughter of Trigon'?" Donna asked.

Michael and Raven tensed up at that. _'Oh, this isn't gonna end well,'_ Michael thought nervously.

"Yes," Blood said, a grin forming on his face. "She didn't tell you, did she?"

 _ **'/Yep,**_ **definitely** _ **not ending well,/'**_ Akima added.

"Tell us what?" Kaldur asked, noticing Raven look down at the stone floor.

"Blood, don't you dare say another word!" Michael threatened.

"She didn't. Oh, this is amusing," Blood chuckled to himself, ignoring the threat from the Multiverser before speaking again. "Your 'friend' isn't fully human. She is, in fact, the half-demonic daughter of our Lord Trigon," he continued, taking pleasure in looking at the shocked looks on everyone's (sans Michael and Raven's) faces.

"What?!" Robin asked with wide eyes behind his mask. Conner had an equally shocked expression.

"You're shitting me," Wally said, refusing to believe his teammate was half-demon.

"The hell are you talking about?!" Victor asked.

"You lie!" Mega, Kory and Donna said.

"You have some nerve to call my teammate by such words," Kaldur said with narrowed eyes.

"Really?" Blood asked smugly. "Well, if I do lie...then why is your friend so nervous? Or Raven so ashamed?" At that the others turned about to notice...that Blood was correct in how Michael and Raven were acting.

 _"/Y-y-yo-you will no-no-not get awa-away with this. Reg-regardless of Raven's origins, w-w-we will stop you,/"_ Architect said, his flaps narrowing down.

"Lord Trigon's ascension to this world will **not** be stopped!" the young man snapped. "Not again!"

"Again?" Kaldur asked, to everyone's confusion.

Sighing, Blood said "Indeed. Lord Trigon attempted to enter into this realm years ago, but was prevented by his own daughter." Sneering, he continued "Trapping him in another realm, she kept her own flesh and blood from coming, and fulfilling his destiny. We've been trying for years to find her, but mostly to no avail."

"How's that?" I asked, honestly intrigued by how they took so long to find her.

"An interesting question," he began, "with just as interesting an answer. You see, until very recently, Raven was dead."

...

...

...

...

...Yeah, that **REALLY** got their attention. And mine. "Wait, what?!" Robin exclaimed.

"Indeed. When she first learned of her destiny, she killed herself in order to prevent Trigon from coming to this realm," Blood explained. "She remained in a Limbo, unable to pass on. But it was only until over two years ago, that we received help in our endeavors. One trained in the mystic arts offered to revive her, and placed her in a properly enough aged body, and we accepted...though I suppose we should've specified where she would be revived," he said with an annoyed frown.

A frown that deepened as he continued "We spent the next two years searching for her. Two **fruitless** years. Numerous potentials, proven to be worthless." **(A/N: Mostly canon. Raven was dead at one point in the comics, until the Church of Blood had revived her in order to try to bring about the end of the world.)** "We nearly had her a few weeks ago, but she stumbled into another dimension through someone's intervention. By the time she came back out, she was now of proper age for the ceremony to take place: about sixteen to seventeen years old. And now, finally, after so many failures of candidates, we have the true daughter of Trigon."

 _"/You killed...countless...innocent women,/"_ Architect got out, venom dripping from his synthetic voice. _"/Ruined families for your goals.../"_

"If you wish to aim your ire at anyone, direct it at Raven," the cult leader countered. "If she had simply accepted her fate, then those women would not have suffered as they had. Instead, she acted as a coward. And for her cowardliness, innocents suffered."

His words made Raven visibly flinch. In her mind, he was right. Her actions were meant to protect this world from her father's intentions. To prevent his influence and followers from harming anyone else...but all she did was pave the way for these madmen to cause untold suffering to numerous innocent souls.

 _'All because I was too weak,'_ she thought to herself, despair and self-loathing beginning to leak into her soul. _'Too afraid...'_

**"Bullshit."**

Everyone turned to look at Michael, who was attempting to murder Blood through his cold gaze alone.

"Don't you even **dare** try to pin that on her," he growled. "Everything you did- all the lives you ruined and ended- was because **you** wanted to end the world. By using someone who wanted **no part** in that.

"So what if she was scared?! How would you have felt- what would you have done- if you were in her exact position?!" he exclaimed, getting up and walking forward, only for the cultists to hold him back. "You say that she's a coward. To me, she's one of the bravest, most selfless people I know!"

To the slight surprise of others, his eyes glowed golden as his words grew in intensity.

"She's no coward! She's a **hero!** One that I'll **gladly** stand by when she needs help!"

And unknown to others, as her eyes were covered by her hood and hair...

**"Because that's what a hero- and a friend- does!"**

Raven's eyes glowed golden as well, with tears beginning to well a bit. Teary eyes perfectly matched by a small smile.

Silence reigned for a moment. The cultists were surprised by the intensity of his words. The Team, though...they each had a fire in their eyes. One that matched the inferno in Michael's.

It didn't take a genius to know they shared the Multiverser's mindset. Growling in annoyance, Brother Blood asked "And who are you to say otherwise?"

With a smirk, Michael replied "Me? I'm the guy who's going to knock the teeth out of your mouth!" Blood grew even more irritated at that...

Until a light of realization entered his eyes. "You...you're a 'Verser', aren't you?"

"...How...do you know my name?" Michael asked, suddenly off-put by the question.

"Oh, no reason," the cult leader shrugged. Making his way over to the captives, he waved his hand up as he said "Actually, there is a reason. I was told to give something to a 'Verser' if one showed up with Raven."

The Team became unsettle at that. "And that is...?" Michael wearily asked. Two cultists propped Michael up at Blood's command.

"This." In a flash of movement, he cast aside his cape and withdrew something from his side.

***SCHTUK!***

And a flash of pain shot through Michael's chest, jerking him about a bit.

 **"Michael!"** everyone shouted, eyes widened in shock and horror upon seeing what had just happened.

What just happened, you ask?

In the blink of an eye, Brother Blood had drawn a dagger from his back- most likely what he was going for when Michael kicked him in the dick earlier- and buried it straight into the Multiverser's chest.

And to their horror, Blood repeated this action five more times, before pushing Michael back. As he fell, he saw the instrument that harmed him so: a sickly black blade, now dripping with his blood. The wounds stung like hell, as if burning him from the inside.

A sensation Michael was familiar with, due to having encountered it many times in the past.

"I was warned that you would be nothing but an annoyance to our plans, Verser," Blood said viciously, wiping the blood from the blade. "And I will not tolerate annoyances. For that, you, and your brother when I find him, will both **die."**

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Raven roared in anguish, trying to reach him from where she was bound on the altar. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"Your words mean nothing, Raven. Not while you're bound to that altar."

Michael, laying on the floor, began to cough up blood as his wounds became more noticeable. At that, the rest of the Team grew furious. "Well how about **our** words?" Conner growled. "When we get out of these, we're sending you to meet your 'god' personally!"

Suddenly, a faint coughing noise could be heard, though it was hard to pinpoint. _"Already did that!"_ came the faint voice of a certain time traveler.

Initially confused, Blood growled as he couldn't wait for the other Multiverser to be caught. "Regardless," he got out, "we've come too far to allow you lot to interfere anymore."

"That implies us letting you win, which we won't!" Victor said.

"In case you haven't noticed, you're all bound with your powers nullified," he began to boast. "And even if you weren't, there's nothing you can do anyway. Especially with your ace in the hole taken out of the game," he added, gesturing to a bleeding Michael.

A bloody cough followed. "Ass...hole..." Michael choked out.

"Again, you haven't caught Timeshifter, so he can still beat you," Kaldur pointed out. _'Like he has before,'_ he added in his head.

"By the time he can do anything, it will be too late. Raven will have brought Lord Trigon into this world, and his power will destroy all non-believers."

"I'd rather die than let that monster destroy this world," Raven spat. That earned quite a few glares from the cultists.

A deep sigh of irritation came from Brother Blood. "I don't understand why you continue to fight your destiny," he said to Raven. "You and I are going to bring the world its salvation."

"Why do I have the sinking feeling that his 'salvation' isn't going to be good?" Michael jeered, grunting through the pain and blood.

"Exactly **how** they're planning on doing that is what concerns me," Donna muttered, loud enough so her friends could agree with her.

"A thousand years of peace will encompass the world," the cult leader continued on, as if he wasn't interrupted.

Glaring, Raven shot back "A 'peace' that will kill everyone but your followers, you mean."

"Indeed, only the true believers will be spared. Under my leadership, we will endure...at least until the savior is ready."

"I would've thought someone like you would see himself as the savior of this shit show," Victor spoke up.

Chuckling, Blood retorted "Well, you know what they say about assumptions. No, I am but one of the catalysts, as is Raven. We are but instruments of Trigon's will, through which he and the savior will lead this world."

"And who exactly is this 'savior' you keep mentioning?" Wally snarked. "The Anti-Christ?"

"No," he said. Looking at Raven, he stroked her cheek as he said "The child born between myself and Raven."

* * *

In another section of the so-called church, Adam was in the middle of investigating, trying to gather as much intel he could on the rest of the Church of Blood and its branches. He had stumbled upon this area by accident, after he got separated from Michael during their descent through the tunnels. While he wanted to get back to the others ASAP, he need to make sure he had everything he could get so as to take out the satanic cult.

More than halfway through, however, his head shot up. At that same moment, he felt a cold fury that he hadn't felt in ages. The kind that demanded blood be spilled.

"...Why do I suddenly have the urge to go in very specific directions that'll lead me to Brother Blood and beat the shit out of him?" he coldly monotoned. **_"...Again?"_**

{YEAH, ADAM! Go to the ritual chamber, and DESTROY THAT MOTHERFUCKER! For the plot gods demand it!} cried the enthusiastic voice of one certain, insane merc in his subconsciousness.

With purpose, Adam Verser ran in familiar directions, knowing where they'd lead. As he ran, he was amused as he realized he'd get to end Blood all over again.

And that filled him with sadistic glee.

* * *

Meanwhile, the others were filled with initial shock and horror...which gave way to **unyielding rage.**

 **"BITCH, YOU TRY IT AND I'LL KILL YOU!"** Michael roared in righteous fury, thrashing against his restraints alongside the others. Unfortunately for him, his actions only worsened his condition.

"Let me at him!" Wally cried, feet running at super-speed as he tried to break free. "Let me at that son of a bitch!"

"Do it and you're dead!" Conner yelled, trying to break free of his restraints.

"You monster!" Megan cried, trying desperately to free herself.

"Hera help me, I'm going to break your neck!" Donna shouted.

"I WILL KILL YOU if you even try it, bastard!" Kaldur yelled.

"You lay a finger on her, and I'll shove a Sonic Blast up your ass!" Cyborg yelled.

"Hurt her, and I'll give people a better reason to call you 'Brother Blood'!" Robin shouted.

"You piece of filth!" Kory roared in feminine fury.

 _"/You intend to forcefully consummate with one of our teammates. This is unacceptable. Addendum: We will destroy more than limbs this time!/"_ the damaged Architect spat out.

Growling in cold fury, Raven said "Try it and I'll rip your genitals off."

"It matters not what you say or do," he waved off, unconcerned by their threats (though he hid his confusion at Architect's threat). "The ritual **will** occur. And from our union, Lord Trigon will return, and cleanse the world of all filth and non-believers! Praise Trigon!"

**"Praise Trigon! Praise Trigon! Praise Trigon! Praise Tri-!"**

**"I CALL BULLSHIT!"**

All the cultists- plus Brother Blood, the Team, and Raven- all turned to the source of the shout: a group of unconscious cultists surrounded Michael- the ones who were restraining him and the damaged Architect- with Adam standing above them, a wild look in his eyes.

"...Where-"

"I was waiting for a moment to come out," he lied, cutting off Megan, "when **this** cocksucker," he pointed to Blood, "started saying that shit! There is something else in this world that deserves **far** more praise than that demon bitch Trigon! Something that has kept humanity safe for **years!** The **FINEST CREATION ANY EMPIRE HAS EVER SEEN!"** Adam shouted, pacing back and forth.

"What are you blabbering on about?" an irate Blood asked.

"I'm glad you asked," Adam replied with a smirk. And then, he pointed his left hand at Michael and Architect. **"CAN I GET A 'PRAISE THE WALLS'?!"** he cried out passionately.

With that said, Michael, Architect and Adam- the former two, realizing with a hint of glee at what was about to happen- threw their fists into the sky, proclaiming **"PRAISE THE WALLS!" (A/N: Yeah, I just used that joke. BioshockerN7 and I couldn't help ourselves.)**

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... **WWWWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTT?!"**

That came from **EVERYONE** in the room, except Michael, Adam, and Architect. If they noticed, their combined shout caused the entire room to shake about, sending rubble to the floor. "What in the actual hell are you two **on?!"** Wally cried out in exasperation.

"Nothing," the Multiversers responded in sync.

**"I DISAGREE!"**

_"/This unit is incapable of consuming drugs,/"_ Architect pointed out.

"Still, the fuck is wrong with you guys?!" Victor asked.

Shrugging, Michael painfully said "Just wanted to say that," before coughing on some blood.

 **"I grow tired of your games!"** Blood said, almost on the verge of tearing his hair out (along with many of his followers). "Lord Trigon **will** be released, one way or another!"

"Over my dead body," Michael shot back.

"Dude, when you say that right now..." Adam said, concerned about luck fucking with them at this point.

At that point, Adam recalled a certain ability that Brother Blood possessed: gaining strength from the blood of others that he consumes, and use their powers for his own. As evidenced by how he lifted Michael with Raven's magic, showing he had consumed some of her blood prior to this moment. **"That can be arranged!"** he snarled.

"Oh, that's just fucking great!" Adam said sarcastically.

"No shiiiIIII **IIIIITTTT!"**

And like that, Blood slammed him into a wall. Then did so again and again, before throwing him over his own head, grinning sadistically at the sight. However, as he was sent flying through the air, Michael Verser non-verbally pointed out a few things to everyone in the room:

1) His ropes were now loose enough to free his arms, showing he had been spending the time talking getting them loose enough.

2) With his arms free, he used his left arm to tear off the collar keeping him in check.

3) His right arm, aimed at the cultists and Brother Blood, split apart. Revealing its prosthetic nature, the arm opened to reveal a metal black tube, with a glow coming from the opening.

"Hit the deck!" Blood shouted in realization.

***PEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEW!***

A barrage of short burst lasers fired from the arm gun, peppering the ground with blasts of energy. Each shot sent the cultists scrambling out of the way, barely avoiding the beams as they shot past them. Eventually, he stopped firing as he neared ground level, and instead tumbled onto the altar, landing near Raven in a bloody heap.

Carefully, the Church of Blood checked themselves...to find not a single mark on them. With a mocking smirk, Brother Blood jeered "Looks like you missed your chance to take me out."

A weak chuckle was his response. "W-Wasn't aiming at **you,"** Michael said.

***SNAP!***

"I was aiming for **them."**

At that point, the others realized: the seemingly random shots...were in fact a smoke screen to hide the more precise shots, aimed at the collars on the rest of the Team. This allowed them to more easily break free of the ropes, or rip off what collars had been missed.

 **"BOOYAH!"** Victor cried out, his Sonic Cannon now fully out and blasting cultists.

***BOOM!***

"Okay, people, let's take 'em down!" Adam said, drawing _Muramasa_.

"I thought your leadership rights were-"

 **"NO!** Shut the **fuck up** about that right now!" Adam interrupted Wally. "Besides, don't tell me if someone talked shit about your family, you wouldn't want to hurt them! So that doesn't count!"

Deciding not to talk further on the matter, the young speedster instead chose to rush forward, slamming into other cultists as they tried to attack them. The result was sending them flying backwards in various states of consciousness. Meanwhile, Donna and Conner were working together, with Donna holding the clone's hands, allowing her to pick him up, and use his invulnerable body as a weapon, spinning around, knocking approaching cultists to the ground.

Letting him go, Conner then soared over a group of enemies (which Robin and Kaldur were in the middle of), over the pool of blood, and into the hands of Kory as she flew him down to Victor and Adam, before flying off to keep others at bay. As they helped Michael up, Adam- drawing out _Wild Card_ \- aimed at Blood and asked "So, what was that about us not being able to do anything?"

An irritated growl left his lips as he stared at the freed heroes. "The lot of you are like rats, coming in droves to eat the proverbial cheese," Blood went on to say. Smirking, he added "However, you'll find that **this** time, the cheese has been complimented with a brass bar swiftly to the neck," he finished as he snapped his fingers.

"Oh yeah?" Aiming his gun at the cult leader, Adam retorted "Well the only 'cheese' I plan on eating right now is Swiss, after I put enough holes in you to-!"

*Thoom*

"Hey guys," Conner said, suddenly looking a bit surprised.

This lead to Adam spinning to look at him. "Supey, I'm about to unload ray bullets into this sucka, **WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"** Adam cried, shaking his fist, which was still holding _Wild Card_.

***Thoom!***

He simply pointed up. "...There's a giant demon coming down."

***THOOM!***

True to his claim, a demon bigger than the ones they encountered before dropped from the ceiling and into the chamber, right in between a smirking Blood and a shocked Team. Standing well above the size of a semi-truck, it had pale, pinkish skin covered by a natural armor over most of its body. Its head had two large horns, four beady eyes, and a large, gaping mouth. Its right arm also possessed a large bone blade, as well as a spiny tail on its back **(A/N: Think a Cyberdemon from the 2016 DOOM game, except no cybernetics and a tail added on).**

"And now, my rats," Blood began, "let me introduce you...to the brass bar."

 **"...DAFUQ IS WITH ALL THESE DEMONS?!"** Adam exasperatedly asked/shouted.

With an ear-splitting roar, the massive demon brought its fist down, separating the small group onto either side: Adam and Victor on its right, and Conner and Michael on its left. "Do with them as you wish," Blood said as he walked to the side, deciding to see how well his followers would do without him.

Leaving the giant demon to grin at its prey.

"Oh, **how** could I be so lucky," Adam began sarcastically, "to once again find myself in the company of both Mikey... **and a hulking giant?!** Will things be the same, or different?"

"Eat this, motherfucker!" Victor screamed, blasting the beast and making it stumble back a bit.

Conner roared as he picked up a huge chunk of stone and threw it, hitting the demon in the back of the head and stunning it, long enough for Michael to bring out his Artificial Sacred Gear. **_"Die die die die die die die die die die die die die diiiiiiieeeee!"_** Michael screamed, slashing the monster repeatedly all across the body and face with **[Aura Radiance]**. Which was doing **some** damage, but not enough.

"A mix of both, it seems," the Aspect of Time deadpanned.

Irritated, the demon swung its tail across the floor, sweeping three of the four (minus Adam) off their legs and leaving them crashing to the ground. The time travelling Multiverser managed to jump into the air ahead of time, and thus was eye level with the beast, allowing him to shoot it with _Wild Card_.

***BANG***

***BANG***

***BANG***

The demon roared in pain, swatting Adam into the ground as it stumbled back. Pissed off, it tried punching him, only for Adam to stop time quick enough to get out of the way.

"Okay, I've had just about enough of this."

 **(Play** **"MAD MAX: FURY ROAD SONG - ROAD RAGE By Miracle Of Sound")**

After he said those words, Adam brought up his left arm, which transformed into his Dragon Arm, and he slammed it into the ground. A mass of black energy gathered around him, as what appeared to be a vortex materialized underneath him.

 **"By the power of the Dragon Bond I share, I say...THUBAN, TO ME!"** Adam shouted, as he stood up with his arms spread out, before bending down and jumping up, right as something else came out of the vortex. When it finally came into view, everyone was slack jawed.

Standing around the same size of the demon they were engaging, was a creature that looked like a Tyrannosaurus Rex with wings. With black scales covering its entire body, it stood with red horns on its head. Equally red spikes were on several parts of its body, as it focused red reptilian eyes and let out a roar that seemed to shake the earth.

At that moment, everyone knew what they were staring at.

What they were staring at...was a dragon.

**A MOTHERFUCKING DRAGON!**

"Punching bag, I'd like you to meet Thuban. And he's **hungry,"** Adam said to the demon with a bloodthirsty grin on his face, before pointing his Dragon Arm at the demon. **"SIC HIM, THUBAN!"** With that said, Adam's dragon engaged the demon, before literally grabbing it with its MOUTH, and flew up, smashing a hole into the ceiling as the two creatures went for a ride in the sky. At the same time, Adam turned to face several cultists, who now looked hesitant to engage the time traveler. Why?

Mainly because he had just taken off his coat to show his entire body and armor was now covered in black scales, with red bits every now and then. And red eyes stared at them, promising them pain...again.

 **"What are you waiting for, boys? I'm right here,"** Adam said as he slowly walked toward them.

As Adam went in for a clawed strike, a cultist tried to sneak up on him, only to be hit by a clothesline from a smirking- yet deadly serious- Wally. "If you hit we're gonna let you psychos do **anything** to Raven, then you've got another thing coming!" the speedster said in defense of his teammate.

"Agreed. We won't let our friend come to harm from any of you!" Kory said, throwing several Starbolts at some enemies, blasting them into the ground and wall.

"What she said!" Robin agreed, throwing two birdarangs at two cultists, who ended up being blinded by the smoke they released.

Before they could react, they were hit by two blasts from Victor's sonic cannon. **"What'd I tell you two? SONIC BOOM, BABY!"** came the enthusiastic shout of the Timeshifter,

Still in his Dragon Armor, he choke slammed two cultists while sending five more flying with a coordinated telekinetic strike between him and Megan. "Incoming!" came a shout from Conner, as he had been thrown by Donna into a pile of cultists, sending them all flying like they'd been hit with an earthquake. Seven more tried to attack the Kryptonian clone, only for them all to be hit by a wave of water, shown to be Kaldur with his Water Bearers drawn and active.

Ten cultists had stayed still, watching the chaos around them, before they all silently agreed to leave...

***SNAP!***

...Until they heard that.

Turning around, they recoiled in fear as they saw Architect had gotten free.

And his narrowed broken eye told them one thing.

He was **PISSED.**

* * *

**Michael's POV:**

* * *

**"AAAAAGGGHH"**

**"OH GOD, NOT THE FACE- OOF!"**

**"I SHOULD'VE JOINED THE PEACE CORPS!"**

**"AAAIIIIIEEEEE!"**

Sitting on the sidelines was never very fun. But sitting on the sidelines while watching Architect basically get revenge on the cultists who treated him like shit...that definitely made me chuckle. Unfortunately for me, that only enhanced my pain tenfold.

Goddamn Negatium, I fucking hated it. Every single time it was brought out, it was nothing but pain. My insides felt like they were being grinded across a fiery surface. Like I had been shoved into a glass room and was dumb enough to try and crawl my way out.

Looking at the element, I felt nothing but disdain for the one substance capable of killing me and the other Multiversers.

 _'Now I know how Adam felt after that fight with Mister Twister,'_ I thought. _'Only difference between us is that I'm still conscious. That just makes it worse.'_

 _ **'/Stay with me, Michael!/'** _ Akima cried out, frantically trying to keep my vitals up through med implants. Unfortunately, they weren't designed to go up against Negatium. ' ** _/Dammit, how the hell did that bastard even get his hands on the one thing that can kill you?!/'_**

I didn't know, to be honest. Only three people I know of have access to that shit.

And I was praying that neither of them were involved.

 _ **{Fuck!}**_ Weisslogia cursed, which really showed how bad I was doing at the moment. **_{My light isn't enough to get rid of this filth! What the hell is this made of?!}_**

To this day, I still wasn't sure. If I knew, I would've had an antidote ready for this.

 **"Michael!"** I heard a familiar voice, making me look to see Raven kneeling beside me, her white hood currently down to show her violet eyes wide with shock.

"Sup, Rae," I said casually, before coughing up blood.

"Stay still, I'll try to stop the bleeding!" she said, her hands glowing with black energy before going near my wound-

NO!

 **"D-DON'T TOUCH IT!"** I cried through the blood, which spurted out at my quick shot of fear. Seeing her flinch back, I said "This shit's poison to anyone and everyone. Y-Y-You could die if you touch it."

She was silent for a minute, before lowering her hands toward my wound, determination in her eyes. "I won't let anyone else die because of me!" Pressing onto the wound, she channeled what energy wasn't be suppressed by the rune-covered chains into the wound. Simultaneously, the Negatium began to burn her palms instantly after contact, trying to reject their very existence.

"Raven, stop!" I shouted, seeing her palms looking like Death itself had come for her.

Ignoring my plead, she kept her hands on my wounds, pouring all the healing energy she could into them. The Negatium continued to eat away at the palms of her hands, causing her immense pain, enough for tears to start welling in her eyes. Yet despite it, she grit her teeth and kept going.

Eventually, I began to feel...invigorated. Like I could take on the whole world myself...and probably get my ass kicked later on because that feeling was disappearing just as quickly as it was there.

Then, it appeared again, and disappeared, and reappeared. The process kept repeating over and over until eventually...it stopped. My wounds still present, but for the moment, I didn't even feel them. It was as if I just took a bunch of painkillers, but wasn't feeling any side effects.

"...Whoa," I breathed. Talk about unique experiences. Brought out of my internal musings, I heard a hiss of pain as Rachel slumped to the ground, gripping her hands. "Raven!" I cried out, reaching down to her. "Come on, Rae, talk to me!"

"I'm fine!" She said, hissing once again to try and suppress her pain. "Just...give me a minute..." A cold pit formed in my gut as I caught sight of the burns on her hands. The Negatium had left its mark on her palms, burning away at the skin.

She hurt herself like this- nearly killed herself- because of my carelessness...

...

...

...

...Someone was gonna pay for the pain she went through.

My eyes then narrowed as they focused on one person. Specifically, the one responsible for our pain:

Brother Blood.

My fists clenched in controlled fury. "...I'll be right back," I growled.

"Wait, Michael, you can't- you're still too-" Getting up against Raven's wishes (while she flinched in pain from the Negatium burns), I started to walk toward the leader, furious intent in my eyes.

To my slightly dark amusement, numerous cultists saw me and charged, intent on ending me (or at least injuring me enough to fall). The urge to laugh was strong as I pushed, punched, kicked and threw every single one out of my way. Nothing was stopping me from heading toward Blood, who was now glaring daggers at me as I made my way to him.

"Nowhere to run, asshole," I growled.

 **"I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU IMBECILES INTERFERING! THIS ENDS NOW!"** Blood shouted, before raising his hands up, and he began to chant.

Or he would have, if I- in all my anger- hadn't all but said 'fuck you' to that. "And **I've** had **enough** of **YOU!"** I cried, running towards him as I threw my fist back, and then unleashed all of my frustrations accumulated tonight into one, concentrated punch.

The blow hit Blood's face like a ton of bricks, knocking out a tooth or two as my right fist fused with his left cheek. The impact sent him sprawling back, colliding with the wall with a painful thud and a pained slide.

"You're too late, Verser!" A barrier formed around him as he spoke. "The **Summoning HAS BEGUN!"** Blood shouted, his voice sounding demonic as he continued his chant.

"Not as long!" A punch made the barrier ripple. "As I'm!" Another punch, making it crack a bit. "Still breathing!"

**(Play "Destiny: The Taken King OST - Regicide")**

Suddenly, a large shockwave sent me flying back as the barrier dropped to show a grinning Blood. "It is too late. The Summoning is complete. Lord Trigon is free!" he said as the blood pool began to boil some more.

"What?!" Robin exclaimed, having caught that after knocking a cultist out. "But- doesn't he still need that marriage ceremony?!"

"That brings Lord Trigon fully into this realm, at all his glorious power!" Blood said, the pool of blood starting to rise up a bit, everyone else stopping their fights to watch. "But for now, he is powerful enough to send an echo into this realm, to begin the final preparations!" he raved on, madness in his eyes.

 _'This is just like goddamn Oryx all over again, Mikey!'_ Adam said in our link.

Watching the blood continue to rise up, I thought back _'Only this time it's real!'_

The mass of blood boiled and poured, rising out of the cistern in a horrid, crimson oval. To the misfortune of many, they were treated to the sight of the bloody mass writhing in midair, stumps bulging out as it shone in crimson light. It twisted and turned, thinning out as the stumps extended outward. A smaller, fifth stump appeared on the top, stretching out until a small hole appeared up top, releasing an eerie groan.

Unable to handle the sight, a cultist tossed their meal from their stomach.

Evil energy surged through the room, as the air began to spin around the form, carrying the energies with it. Raven cried in anguished pain, her own energy resonating with the form. Soon, a crack of lighting sprung forth...

Then, the form stopped.

And there, in all his red skinned, horned, four-eyed glory, was Trigon. Or an echo of him, if what we heard is accurate.

The demonic overlord stretched his head around, working any cricks out of his newly formed neck. Arms and legs stretched out, fingers and toes flexing as he touched down. Smoke went to his head, forming a mane of silver hair. Once it situated, four piercing, yellow eyes opened up.

 _ **"Who...summons...me?"**_ came the deep, careless voice of the demonic father of Raven.

"Lord Trigon! I am Sebastian Blood IX, the leader of the Church of Blood!" the cult leader said as he walked forth. "We are your humble servants, my lord!"

"Holy shit," Robin muttered in stunned awe, barely able to compute what he was seeing. "The whackadoo was telling the truth."

"That's...actually terrifying," Megan squeaked in terror.

 _ **"Blood?"**_ Trigon rumbled. _**"Ah, yes...I do recall a group like yours..."**_

"Okay, I may or may not have mentally shit myself," Wally whimpered, horrified at the defiance of science standing- okay, hovering- in front of him.

Sniffing a bit, Donna added "I think you actually did so as well."

"It's cool if you did, KF," Victor said. "If I could still do it...I'd be shitting myself, too."

"Well, either way, this guy's gonna die," Adam casually said, _Muramasa_ held high.

Looking down at us, Trigon's eyes narrowed in annoyance. _**"Who are these insects supposed to be, Blood?"**_

"The motherfuckers who are gonna **KICK YOUR ASS!"** Adam shouted. _'Again,'_ he added to himself.

 _ **"I wasn't speaking to you,"**_ he said, blasting Adam into a wall with a bolt of dark energy. As he collided into the stone wall, I hoped that he had enough energy to at least bounce back from that attack. Turning back to Blood, he said _**"Now, answer."**_

"Here's **MY RESPONSE, BITCH!"** Adam shouted, shooting back with a strike that sent Trigon staggering back a few steps. "Oh yeah! Suck on **DEEZ NUTS, MOTHER-!"**

***CRACK***

And with a bolt of lighting, Adam was rendered unconscious for the moment as he was knocked into Architect, the two landing near Raven's altar in a heap. The only thing the two had to say was a simple _"/We are beginning to despise supernatural entities,/"_ Architect said, pushing Adam off of him before standing up, hitting his creator with a Neuroshock, speeding up his recovery to consciousness.

However, as he watched the two at work...Trigon's focus went to another next to them:

His daughter.

Grinning, he said _**"Raven. My child."**_ His words made the young empath shiver in fear.

"We were in the midst of conducting the ritual that would fully bring you to this realm," Blood explained. "These...heroes, however, intend to stop it."

_**"...Do they now?"** _

"What are you?!" Kaldur asked, seeking answers to this monster's motives. "Why do you seek the world's destruction?!"

The Atlantean was answered with a sneer. _**"Insolent whelp. I am Trigon; conqueror of six realms, and thousands of worlds. I have existed long before your father was even an idea conceived in your grandfather's loins. I need not explain myself to mere mortals who cannot comprehend."**_ As he finished, he sent out a blast of energy, knocking myself and the rest of the Team backwards.

"'Oh, I'm a god!' Go fuck yourself, reddy!" Adam said throwing Highlander at Trigon, the shield practically making sound waves after bouncing off Trigon's horns. The result, however, earned a glare at Adam.

"Adam," I croaked out, "for the love of everything, our powers are nullified. PLEASE stop antagonizing the evil jackass that is Raven's dad!"

 _'So?! I've fought this prick before! I'm not scared!'_ Adam raged in our link.

Before I could retort, a cultist bashed me over the head, bringing me to my knees. "N-Never start with the head," I groaned. "That just...ugh, leaves the victim feeling fuzzy, so they can't feel-" Another strike, this one to my back. I barely even grunted. "See?"

Chuckling at my pain, Trigon said _**"So, these are the fools you've associated yourself with, Raven? I must admit, I was expecting...more."**_

"Ever hear the phrase, 'looks can be deceiving'?" Robin asked.

 _ **"The same can apply to your side, young one,"**_ he retorted. _**"Or have you forgotten how my daughter lied to you about her heritage? How she is destined to bring me to your world?"**_ His words made Raven look down and shiver, in both fear and shame.

"The future...isn't set in stone," I growled as I got up. "And in the end, choice beats destiny every time."

Adam chuckled a bit at that, a hint of remembrance in his eyes. _'The same words I told my Raven, Mikey.'_

Seriously?!

The four yellow eyes narrowed. _**"...What is your name, boy?"**_ he glowered.

Oh, it was never a good sign when a big baddie asks for your name. Knowing what was coming, I answered "Michael Verser. The people of this world know me more widely as Atlas. A hero."

"And I'm his badass brother, Adam Verser! The Timeshifter! And I've seen your future! You will **FAIL!"**

 _ **"I've had enough of you for now,"**_ he said in annoyance, swatting him into the wall with a wave of energy. Turning his attention back to me, he went on to say _**"You, on the other hand...I will teach you the fate of those who defy me."**_

"Really?" I asked sarcastically.

Arcing dark energy formed in his hands. _**"Really."**_

"Oh, crap in a hat-"

***BOOM!***

I was then sent flying back from the blast, hitting the ground hard. Just bad luck that everyone else was sent back from the shockwave. I did manage to get a small kick out of Blood tumbling backwards, though. _**"You insects are a waste of my time."**_ Trigon sneered.

Grunting in pain, I lifted myself back up, glaring as I brought out **[Aura Radiance]**. "Anyone still able to fight?" I called out.

"Yep!" Adam said, _Muramasa_ in his hands.

"I'm...good," Victor said, fatigue in his voice, but his body held tough confidence.

"Alright," I nodded. "Anyone got a battle plan? 'Cause we could sure use one right now."

"Yeah: we kill him," my brother said, as if this was he usually operated, which given his past experience as a vigilante, might be an accurate thought.

Avoiding another strike from the demon, I asked "Anyone even **have** a battle plan?"

"Fine, if you're talking battle, then here you go! You take the left! Victor takes the right, and I take the fucking center!" Adam said, sending a horizontal slash at Trigon, staggering the demonic entity.

Quickly getting into said positions, we started attacking him with all we had. Victor laid down suppressing fire with his sonic canon, making the demon grunt in irritation as he was forced back. In retaliation, his eyes fire four beams of energy, forcing the half-machine hero to roll out of the way.

This gave me an opening to attack.

As I jumped into the air, I heard Adam call out "Mikey, catch!" Looking to my left, I saw _Muramasa_ flying toward me, time now seeming to slow down as it got closer and closer. Right in my grasp. Only for beams of energy to hit both me, AND the blade, down the steps. Unceremoniously, I landed with a large **THUD** and a flat...

"Ow."

 **"REALLY?!"** Adam cried, now holding _Highlander_ in his hand as he blocked a laser blast.

Trigon stomped down on the ground, creating a shockwave that sent Adam into the air along with Victor. The latter used this chance to fire directly into the demon conqueror's face, making him cry out in pain as he stumbled back. "Not so hot when it's done to you, is it?" Victor jeered.

Kind of a mistake on his part. _**"These wastes of breath you humans call 'puns' make me sick,"**_ Trigon said as he swatted Victor to the side, who was then caught by Adam, who quickly dashed off behind Trigon.

 _'Okay, I got a plan, but it might be risky,'_ Adam said to both Michael and Victor.

 _'What the hell could possibly be more risky than this?!'_ Victor asked, as Adam grinned before telling them the plan.

When he finished, Adam spoke. "Puns make you sick? I got the cure right here!" Adam said, as Trigon went to strike, but then he felt his back get slammed as Victor had thrown a punch with an enhanced gauntlet, sending the demon to his knees. At this, Victor ran to where Adam was, as he began to punch Trigon with his cybernetic fists, followed by Adam slamming Highlander into the demon's face.

When said demon tried to strike back, Adam blocked the hit, allowing Victor to punch the back of Trigon's knee. Adam then spun and threw _Highlander_ into Trigon's face, leading to Victor following with another punch to the face, which Adam then reciprocated. When Trigon looked ready to attack...

_'Mikey, now!'_

At that, the two dove out of the way. Fun fact: **[Aura Radiance]** , as I mentioned before, contains the White Dragon Weisslogia. A dragon that uses light as a source of his powers. As a result, he's also considered a 'Holy Dragon' by nature, which can be pretty useful.

Blade with holy properties.

Demonic conqueror.

You do the math.

Charging forward as fast as possible, I leaped toward his chest, blade in hand, and buried it in his gut all the way to the hilt. Weisslogia used this opportunity to pour as much light into Trigon as he could, with Masamune-chan aiding him. The result was pretty instantaneous. Trigon began screaming like a newborn baby, holy light making his body crack all over.

"Alright, he's stunned! **BLAST HIM WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!"** Adam shouted, drawing _Wild Card_.

Shocked in realization, I protested "WaitAdamI'mstill-!"

Too late.

**(End "Destiny: The Taken King OST - Regicide")**

**"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM, BITCH!"** Adam shouted as he and Victor fired all of their weaponry at full blast, practically brightening the room. Every shot fired went right at big red himself, creating explosion after explosion. Nothing seemed to be able to stop the barrage.

Until I threw **[Aura Radiance]** , burying it in Adam's right knee.

Adam gave a scream of pain, before I suddenly felt myself get yanked out of the barrage, landing right next to Victor and Adam, both of whom did not stop one bit. Not even while Adam yanked **[Aura Radiance]** out of his knee...and jammed it into my own. Then, as I howled in pain, he stopped for a second and shot me in the chest with a laser blast before going back to work. "Next time, **fucking ask** to be taken out of the barrage! **Not throw your weapon into my fucking knee!"** he shouted, not even looking at me at this point as he and Victor continued to blast the SHIT out of Trigon.

"I fucking tried!" I screamed back, yanking the blade out. "But **someone** got too **TRIGGER HAPPY!"**

"Are we **REALLY** doing this right now?!" Victor shouted back.

 **"YOU KNOW WHAT?! JUST JOIN IN THE BLASTING, MIKEY!"** Adam shouted.

And I would've...if Trigon hadn't decided to go all 'fuck that noise' on us, and unleashed a brutal shockwave.

 **"SON OF A BITCH!"** we shouted at once as the three of us were sent flying back, slamming into the various areas before settling on the ground next to the rest of the team (who had gotten back up midway through the fight, and were fighting the cultists again).

Hovering in place, Trigon showed he was definitely affected by that attack. His crimson skin was crumbling away, revealing a shadowy husk beneath. The use of his power even made his form crumble a bit more, exposing more shadows.

 _ **"I..have had...enough of this..."**_ he growled, glaring at his next target as energy formed in his hands.

The intended recipient? Me.

 _ **"You go first, boy!"**_ he shouted as he prepared to let loose the blast.

Time slowed down at that point, just as the orb was about to be released. Here I was, sitting in my own blood, with-

Wait. Blood.

 _'...Holy shit, I can't believe I nearly forgot.'_ Quickly, I brought out a small vial holding red liquid from my pocket. Said liquid being my own, original blood. "Here goes everything!" I muttered.

Acting fast, I squeezed out a drop of blood from the flask, and smeared it on the black and gold tattoos. I went through a quick series of hand signs, just as Trigon's echo roared _**"DIE!"**_ as he flung a ball of dark energy. Seconds before it reached me, however, I slammed my right hand onto the ground, crying out:

_**"KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU (Translation: Summoning Jutsu)!"** _

* * *

**Third Person's POV:**

* * *

***BOOM!***

Right as he cried out, the ball of energy collided where he stood. Even with all of the smoke, though, many had the feeling Michael survived the blast. How he did so had yet to be answered. Just before someone could act, though...they heard a pair of footsteps in the smoke.

...

...

...

...

...

**"...DARLING!"**

**"BELOVED!"**

**"OOF!"**

***THUMP***

The sounds of two- now identified as female- individuals tackling Michael resounded throughout the chamber. To everyone's shock, confusion...and for certain individuals, jealousy...the sounds of passionate kissing followed suit. For a good minute.

Yes, a few of the Team actually counted.

Seconds later, the kissing was replaced by a slap to the face. "Okay, I deserved that." Another slap followed. "I deserved that one, too." Multiple slaps in succession. "...I might've deserved those."

 **"YOU INCONCEIVABLE IGNORAMUS!"** a passionate voice cried out in feminine fury, the sounds of a body being shook echoing in the chamber. **"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LONG IT'S BEEN SINCE YOU SUMMONED US?!"**

 **"LET ALONE THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT'S PASSED SINCE WE LAST SAW EACH OTHER?!"** another voice- somewhat more collected than the previous- screamed as she joined in the shaking. **"YOU MADE US THINK YOU'D FORGOTTEN ABOUT US, YOU CALLOUS BASTARD!"** Even though they weren't on the end of this current tongue lashing, everyone could **feel** the barbs hitting them.

And for a good number of people, felt sorry for the poor Multiverser.

"I-I'm sorry!" he cried. "I meant to summon you earlier, I swear! But I had a lot of shit to deal with!" The two voices *Hmph'd* at that. Sighing, Michael said "I swear, I'll make this up to you. Just name your price."

"...The most expensive restaurant you can find," the passionate voice stated.

"Done."

"Candlelit dinner," the more collected voice added.

"Obviously."

"And you're going to be spending that entire day doing whatever we want," the former added. "And Hell help you if you try to decamp from this arrangement!"

"I will, I promise. However, before that can happen, I need your help with something."

"Oh really?" they asked irritably.

"Yeah," he said. "We're currently fighting against a bunch of cultists and their asshole of a deity." Many glares went to the smoke. "Said cult is trying to raise Hell on Earth."

The two unknown females had their interests piqued. "Really?" they asked.

"Yep. And guess how they plan on doing it?" Silence was his answer. "By forcing someone to marry the cult leader, whom he also intends to forcefully consummate said 'marriage' with."

A cold fury spiked from the smoke-filled area, with the smoke quickly beginning to dissipate.

"Basically," he continued, everyone feeling the smirk on his face through the smoke, "he thinks himself above... **the rules."**

**(Play "** **Scanty & Kneesocks Theme - I Want You (With Lyrics)")**

_**"...Is that so?"**_ they both coldly inquired at once, sending chills down many a spine.

The smoke cleared up more, revealing two standing, feminine figures...with what appeared to be horns on their heads, and glowing yellow eyes. The one on the left had a single horn sticking out of their forehead, while the one on the right had two on either side of her head.

"Well, dear sister, it appears that we have some work to do," the individual on the right, "if these recalcitrant little popinjays think they can get away with this atrocious action."

"Indeed, sister," the individual on the left agreed. "These cultists are in desperate need of a schooling. And sometimes, the most **inestimable** lessons...are the most **laborious."**

"True. Shall we, Scanty?"

"Let's, Kneesocks."

With a gust of wind, the smoke cleared, revealing the two women for all to see. Floating before everyone, clear as day, were two female demons. Both with red skin, horns on their heads, prehensile red tails, glowing pink devil wings, and a pair of double-layered irises (yellow and green) for their eyes.

The one on the left, the elder of the two, had long light green hair reaching down to her knees. She wore a black leather miniskirt, black high heel boots, a black bra (which went over her noticeably large breasts), a collar, and several studded belts and wristbands. She also appeared to have small fangs, clearly seen through her smirk.

The one on the left had long light blue hair, tied up in a ponytail, and wore a pair of glasses. Unlike her sister, she had a much smaller bust. Just like her sister, though, she wore a BDSM-like outfit: a black leather miniskirt and strapped bra, black knee socks, black heels, and several black leather belts, collars and wristbands. She, too, had small fangs shown by her smirk.

_"Break, O earth."_

As they spoke, the elder of the two reached underneath her skirt, slowly sliding two pairs of black thongs down her thighs.

_"Dry up, O sea."_

The younger then did the same, though she chose to perform this act on her knee socks instead.

_"Burn out, O sun."_

With those words, the two sisters removed their respective garments completely.

_"Grant us power, O earthly leaders and gatekeepers of Hell."_

The duo twirled their clothing around, causing them to glow. The elder's thongs then transformed into twin black/golden revolvers. The younger's knee socks, meanwhile, transformed into twin black/golden scythes. The duo wielded both weapons menacingly as they fully brought their attention to the cultists.

_"Guide us, makers of the Underworld! **We are high-class Demon Commanders!"**_

"I'm Scanty Daemon!" spoke the green-haired demoness.

"And I'm her darling little sister, Kneesocks Daemon!" continued the blue-haired demoness.

"Huh?!" Victor cried out.

"What the-?!" Donna exclaimed.

Raven, in shock, could only stare at the two demoness sisters.

"Well that's...unexpected," Megan admitted.

"On that we can agree," Kaldur nodded, with Conner doing the same.

"Weird," Robin said, shaking his head.

"He can summon demons?" Kory asked in surprise.

"...Hot," Wally drooled, eyes oggling the two sisters.

"Wally, if you wish to have kids one day, I'd recommend you stop talking," Adam warned, groaning as he picked himself back up.

Face-palming, Architect muttered _"/The amount of supernatural elements being summoned tonight is beginning to annoy us./"_

 _ **"You summon two lower demons to face me?"**_ Trigon chuckled darkly (and in amusement). _**"You must be truly desperate to stop what's meant to happen."**_

Glaring at the spectral shade, Scanty inquired "So, am I to assume this uncouth bastard is the one these fools are trying to bring back?"

"Got it in one, Scanty," Michael nodded. "Sorry to ask this of you, but I was wondering if you could teach him respect, while Bassy and I have a little 'chat' about his group's actions," he finished, glaring at Blood himself.

"As if you even need to ask, beloved," Kneesocks responded for herself and her sister. "It would be our pleasure to teach such a prideful upstart a lesson."

"No time like the present, eh sister?" Scanty asked.

"Indeed," the bluenette agreed with her verdette sister. Brandishing their golden weapons, Kneesocks added "I hope you're prepared to learn what happens..."

Readying her guns, Scanty continued "When scum like you..."

The sisters lunged forward, saying as one **"BREAK THE RULES!"**

And so, Scanty raised her revolvers and began to fire, an endless amount of bullets hitting the demonic father of Raven's skin, some bouncing off, others going right through him. Growling in irritation, he fired back with his beams. The crimson bolts struck the floor before them, shattering it in a controlled explosion.

However, as he was busy attacking Scanty, he failed to notice Kneesocks approaching him from behind, her scythe raised as she brought it down on the back of his left leg. _**"AAGH!"**_ he cried, falling down onto one leg in pain, before rearing back on her. _**"Impudent troglodyte! You**_ **dare** _ **to maim me?!"**_

"Of course I dare, you unbearable curmudgeon!" Kneesocks said, ripping her scythe out right, right as Scanty fired twelve shots directly through Trigon's face. "You broke the rules, so you must pay, you feeble excuse for a demon!"

Scanty was now on top of Trigon's head, filling it with an endless supply of lead while giving a massive grin. "Exactly! Nobody gets away with crimes like this when we're around!" she exclaimed.

The shots ended, however, when a large red hand grabbed her by the neck.

 _ **"Rules?! RULES?!"**_ Slamming her into her sister, he stated _**"Harlots! The only 'rule' that matters here, IS MY OWN!"**_ An energy blast from his eyes punctuated his statement, intended to vaporize the sisters.

***CRASH!***

***FWOOSH!***

Or it would've, if a fireball didn't suddenly smash through the ceiling and hit the Trigon in the face, which was now starting to look like it was shoved into a barbecue and left to burn for days. The pained screams added on to that description rather well.

Looking toward the hole, Michael, Scanty and Kneesocks- all confused- wondered where that came from. And got their answer as hand came through the hole, pulling through to show the demon from earlier, now looking like it had been beaten to death, trying desperately to escape what was attacking it. But right as it was about to climb through...

***SNAP***

It lurched forward, now looking back as everyone could faintly see a scaled outline of Thuban's mouth chomping the demon's legs, before shooting back into the skies, dragging the demon with it.

Silence was all that reigned for a while.

Then...

"...Well, I think we ought to go back to dealing with our own vermin problem," Kneesocks said plainly. Scanty nodded, and followed suit to attack the demonic conqueror.

Nodding as well, Michael said "Uh, yeah. You...You do that..."

"Adam?" Wally asked.

"Yeah?" Adam asked back.

"...You have some weird partners," The speedster was now officially wondering just how many things Adam has done with said partners. From what he's seen so far, an artificial intelligence made of his own brain waves, and a dragon...he was left wondering just what kind of shit did Adam get into?

Questions for later. In the meantime...

 _'Time for Round 2, Bassy...'_ Michael thought darkly, finally finding the evil cult leader as he regained his footing.

**(End "** **Scanty & Kneesocks Theme - I Want You (With Lyrics)")**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. What kind of person am I to leave things hanging right at this moment? To be fair, I was originally planning to have this chapter and the next as one big chapter. However, it grew to the point where I thought it needed to be split up, otherwise it would leave too much crammed into one chapter. Not ready for that JUST yet.
> 
> Those come later. Until then, we hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as we enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Indeed, Bio. And man, did this arc get good. With Michael now suffering from Negatium wounds to the chest, the Team having to fight their way out of the clutches of the Church of Blood, and their deity Trigon summoned, things are looking pretty grim for our heroes. However, if you're familiar with Multiversers, you know that they'll find a way to win.
> 
> Until then, please leave a review/comment, so I can know what you think. BUT NO FLAMES, as those will be ignored and/or reported!
> 
> Well said. Hero of the Multiverse, over and out.


	10. Blood Is Spilled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, fellow readers. The end of what I am now officially calling the "First Mission arc". Originally meant to be simply two chapters long, it managed to grow into three. That's pretty impressive, I have to say. Right, Bio?
> 
> BioshockerN7: Tell me about it. What was originally a chapter meant to detail the Team's unexpected encounter with the Church of Blood, evolved into a two-parter, as well as create your first multi-chapter arc in a story. I've gotta say, that's pretty impressive.
> 
> I know, right? I've had this arc planned out for so long, it's really something to see it finally get finished up. Well, here's hoping that I manage to pull the ending off just right so you guys can enjoy it. Now let's-
> 
> BioshockerN7: Hold it! Forget something, dude?
> 
> What?...Oh, right! Thanks for reminding me.
> 
> Right, so, here's the disclaimer: Neither BioshockerN7 nor I own Young Justice in any way, shape, or form. Young Justice is the property of Brandon Vietti and Greg Weisman, created for Cartoon Network. If I DID own Young Justice, however, Season 3 would be out on Netflix by now! So please support the official release, and get Season 3 out there already!...I really hope they do.
> 
> Now let's get to the action, and wrap up this arc!

_ **Voice Cast (how I envision certain characters being voiced):** _

_**Death = Natalie Portman (Think the voice of Jane Foster from the Marvel Cinematic Universe)** _

* * *

**BGMs:**

**Maroon 5 - One More Night Instrumental**

**World's Greatest Battle Music Ever: Force of Will**

**Fatum Iustum Stultorum II _(YouTube it; posted by TrocaderoFanPage)_**

**Cool Guys Don't Look At Explosions - The Lonely Island**

**Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater Soundtrack: Snake Eater**

* * *

**Previously on Young Multiverser...**

* * *

_"Sebastian Blood IX," Adam responded with venom. "Also known as Brother Blood. He's the leader of the Church of Blood; a cult that worships an inter-dimensional demon named Trigon." Raven visibly flinched at that info, slightly stepping back from the cultists. "He's also wanted in being suspected of numerous disappearances and deaths."_

* * *

_Her next words hit all in the room like a bullet. **"...His** name is Architect. And **he** has more of a soul than you **EVER** will," she said with a cold tone, defending her technological companion._

* * *

_"Your 'friend' isn't fully human. She is, in fact, the half-demonic daughter of our Lord Trigon," he continued, taking pleasure in looking at the shocked looks on everyone's (sans Michael and Raven's) faces._

* * *

_"I'm glad you asked," Adam replied with a smirk. And then, he pointed his left hand at Michael and Architect. **"CAN I GET A 'PRAISE THE WALLS'?!"** he cried out passionately._

_With that said, Michael, Architect and Adam- the former two, realizing with a hint of glee at what was about to happen- threw their fists into the sky, proclaiming **"PRAISE THE WALLS!"**_

* * *

_**"Who...summons...me?"** came the deep, careless voice of the demonic father of Raven._

* * *

_Acting fast, I squeezed out a drop of blood from the flask, and smeared it on the black and gold tattoos. I went through a quick series of hand signs, just as Trigon's echo roared **"DIE!"** as he flung a ball of dark energy. Seconds before it reached me, however, I slammed my right hand onto the ground, crying out:_

_**"KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU (Translation: Summoning Jutsu)!"** _

* * *

_Brandishing their golden weapons, Kneesocks added "I hope you're prepared to learn what happens..."_

_Readying her guns, Scanty continued "When scum like you..."_

_The sisters lunged forward, saying as one **"BREAK THE RULES!"**_

* * *

**Chapter 10: Blood Is Spilled**

* * *

**Third Person's POV:**

* * *

***BOOM!***

Another explosion rocked the chambers, causing many to stumble and shout as they ran to avoid any rubble and head toward their destination. Said destination being anywhere in the all-out brawl occurring in the Church of Blood's headquarters: from the Team, Thuban, and the new arrivals of the Daemon Sisters; to the cultists, a large demon, and their deity, Trigon.

It was chaos.

In the midst of this chaos, Brother Blood was making his way through the sea of people, trying to find the person he was going to personally kill. At the same time, he was trying to figure out where it all went wrong. The man in black said that the barrier generator was meant to keep their powers suppressed, along with the collars. And yet the Verser brothers had managed to summon a giant dragon and two female demons, both of whom were currently either laying waste to the cult's surroundings outside or in the middle of fighting off Trigon himself.

That wasn't even taking into account how badly the rest of the teenage superheroes were wrecking his followers. Either the Martian was throwing them telekinetically, or the half-machine and alien princess were blasting them, or the Kryptonian was punching them into next week.

Before he could even curse his luck, Michael appeared before him, still bleeding but still standing tall. "So. We meet again, Voldemort," he quipped through the pain in his chest and the blood building up in his lungs.

"You know, I'm starting to think the world just loves stupid people," Blood retorted in annoyance. To emphasize his point, he gestured to practically everyone here (to signify the Team) and exclaimed "I mean, just look at how many there are!"

"Yeah, the world's filled with idiots," the Multiverser agreed. Forming **[Aura Radiance]** , he added "Unfortunately for you, you're one of them."

The cult priest chuckled at his words. "How precious. Do you honestly believe that just because I am seen as a minor in the eyes of your governments that I will not kill you?"

"Oh, I know exactly what you're capable of, Bassy," he taunted. "That's why I'm gonna kick your ass **extra** hard tonight."

"...Cute." Removing his headdress and cloak, he stood at attention and continued "But for your insolence, I shall tear out your insides and jump rope with them."

"Bring it, bitch!" With that, Michael charged forward, swinging his blades.

 _"Un!"_ Blood ducked, dodging the blade that swung overhead. _"Deux!"_ he cried as he rolled out of the way of a downward kick. _"Trois!"_ he said as he shot back up, catching another kick from the left leg. "And punch to the crotch, motherfucker!" He promptly did so, causing Michael to yelp in pain and leap back.

Nursing his crotch, he thought/cringed _'Okay...that's gonna be sore for a few hours...'_ as Blood returned to his stance.

"You know, some people are like slinkies," he said. "Not really good for anything, but you can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs."

Grunting, Michael shot back "I am **really** looking forward to shutting your mouth for good, you rapist piece of shit."

"Well don't you just have the most colorful quips."

"Stick around. Your mom's in the next one."

"...You have just ensured your death will be a slow and painful one," he monotoned.

Realizing how he now had the perfect chance to pay homage, he thought _'Oh, he is just making this too easy.'_

 ** _'/You're...not actually doing this, are you?/'_** Akima asked, surprised her partner was even considering what he was about to do.

A smirk was her answer. "You can't beat me, Bassy. Let me tell you why. Akima, hit it!"

**(Play "Maroon 5 - One More Night Instrumental")**

As soon as the music started up and Michael started humming, Blood's face contorted in extreme annoyance. "I swear, if you start singing, I will kill your parents!" he threatened.

That made Michael smirk wider, and he began to sing.

Michael:

**_You and I go hard, at each other like we're going to war  
_ ** **_You and I go rough, we keep throwing things and slamming the door  
_ ** **_You and I get so damn dysfunctional, we stopped keeping score  
_ ** ****_You and I get sick, yeah I know that we can't do this no more_

"Stop it! Stop it! For the love of everything, **SHUT UP!"** Blood cried out. That only made Michael keep going. Louder.

As well as cause his opponent to charge forward and scream angrily.

* * *

Everyone else stopped fighting as soon as the music began, with everyone now stunned silent at the impromptu singing performance (complete with Michael now dancing/dodging Brother Blood's attacks). "Is he...Is he really...?" Raven asked in disbelief, still chained to the altar, while Adam and Architect worked on removing the chains.

Face-palming, Adam tiredly responded "He is. And I'm questioning his sanity right now. This...This just **screams** Duncan." That made him worry, wondering how much the Aspect of Chaos influenced Michael at that point.

A few plates shifted on Architect's head. _"/We question this form of oral battle,/"_ he stated.

* * *

"What...What is he doing?" Conner asked, watching Michael spin around past an angry jump kick.

In response, Wally monotoned "Either something really dumb, really confusing, really clever, or a unique mix of all three."

"Making a fool of himself is what he's doing," Victor said as he shook his head.

Nodding her head to the beat, Megan said "Well, he has good taste in music."

* * *

"Do the people on this planet usually do something like this?" Kory asked.

"You're asking the wrong person," Donna replied just as Michael quickly moon-walked away from an angry Blood. "But judging by everyone else, I'd say no."

"You aren't wrong," a cultist in the Tamaranean's grip groaned in pain, before falling into unconsciousness.

* * *

With a skillful flip, Michael continued to induce confusion through his singing (as well as drive Brother Blood crazy). As he did, his teammates continued to have their 'WTF' moments. "...You know, it really says something when the apprentice starts to copy the master," Robin deadpanned.

"That's an understatement," Kaldur nodded. "I haven't seen something this random since Duncan's last prank in Atlantis."

"Which all involved agreed to not talk about," the Boy Wonder said icily.

"Right. Sorry."

* * *

"I really wish I could say I was surprised by this," Scanty said with a sigh and slumped shoulders. "But considering we know the psychopath who's been training him, such a bout of randomness doesn't even leave me the least bit nonplussed."

"Indeed, sister," Kneesocks agreed with an equal sigh and slump, though inwardly chuckled as Michael caught a flying side kick from Blood and threw him across the room. "If it weren't for our relationship with him, we might've slapped him upside the head for such foolishness."

"...Don't we do that anyway, though?"

"...Ah. Right. I forgot about that."

 ** _"...I...I have no words for this,"_** Trigon said. **_"None."_**

* * *

 **"GODDAMN IT, STOP THIS SINGING!"** Blood shouted, but Michael wasn't listening. Instead, he jazz stepped away from him, holding back his laughter as Blood drove himself mad trying to hit his opponent.

Stopping for a moment, Michael thought it over...then decided he needed to be trolled some more. And sang again.

 **"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!"** Blood shouted as he threw one hard punch toward the Multiverser.

***KA-POW!***

***Record Scratch SFX***

**(End "Maroon 5 - One More Night Instrumental")**

Flying back, the music ended as Michael collided with a few cultists, whom were planning to accost Megan and Conner from behind. Regaining his bearings, he got back up, dusted himself off, and said "Jeez, Bassy, ya don't need to spaz out like that."

"You signed your death warrant when you... **defiled** my mother in that way," Blood said, rage in his every step.

"What's wrong, Bassy?" Michael asked, backing up while keeping my cool. "Can't take what you can dish out?" His response?

Suddenly appearing in front of Michael, as if he had ran the whole gap with Wally's speed and Super-punched him hard enough to send him into the wall.

"...Ow."

Meanwhile, Adam was busy fighting off the cultists, but noticed his brother get owned in a spectacular way. This caused him to groan, shake his head and say "Pretty sure if Duncan was here, he'd be laughing his ass off to hide the disappointment he'd feel."

"This...proves...nothing..." Michael groaned out.

"It proves you're too fucking slow," he replied to his brother. As he said this, a group of cultists rushed him, forcing him to try and push them back. Adam growled through the effort, wondering out loud "On another note, where the hell's Thuban?!"

* * *

To answer his question, his faithful dragon companion was currently in the middle of an epic fight against the giant demon. The reptilian creature had the hellspawn on the ropes, severely bloodying it through several bites, slashes from his claws, and beating against his tail. Thuban now flew through the skies as he held the demon in his mouth. Said demon was thrashing around trying to free itself, but it wasn't getting anywhere, Thuban's iron grip proving to be inescapable.

Roaring in anger, it threw a punch to Thuban's stomach, the effect freeing the demon from the dragon's snare. This had the result of making Thuban inhale before shooting fire out his mouth, sending the demon flying toward the upper area of the barrier's radius, slamming into the barrier.

It stared at Thuban, wings now extending from its back as it shot toward the dragon. Thuban quickly flew forward as well, the two creatures meeting in a collision that created a small shockwave. The demon threw a fist forward, only for it to be chomped off by Thuban's teeth. The dragon then swung around, smacking the demon with its tail, sending the demon crashing into the barrier.

The demon then shot fire out of its other hand, sending the dragon flying back, but Thuban's time with Adam trained him to recover quickly in the air as he flew forward, slamming his head into the demon's stomach. This had the effect of making the demon miss its next blast of fire as it flew toward the Church of Blood's lair, likely hitting a random cultist who'd give a Wilhelm scream upon seeing his impending death. After that, Thuban brought up his feet and kicked the demon so hard it did a backflip in the air.

As the demon began to stagger around in the air, Thuban began to gather his strength, his body and spikes glowing red as he then opened his mouth with roar.

Red hot fire shot out hitting the demon so hard it was sent into the Negatium barrier, the force making a sound that sounded like two objects smashing together. Cracks started to appear on the now fluctuating sickly purple barrier, getting bigger and bigger, until...

***CRACK!***

***KA-BOOOOOOOOOOM!***

* * *

**Scene Change:**

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Watchtower, the League was currently discussing something when all of a sudden...

"What in the...?"

Everyone turned to see Duncan staring out the window and down at Earth. When they joined him, they all noticed a pillar of fire (mixed in with a familiar purple energy) appear near an area of Earth. "What was that?!" Green Arrow asked in shock.

Duncan, using his powers to check (and instantly surprised), responded "That, my friend, was one of the greatest creatures in the world. For only one creature can make hot fire like a recently released mixtape. One so awesome just saying its name is 10x as awesome. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm talking about a dragon. **A MOTHER. FUCKING. DRAGON."**

* * *

**Scene Change:**

* * *

Back on Zandia, Thuban- having brushed off the flames of the explosion- admired his handiwork.

A sickly purple barrier appeared in the sky, then quickly began to burn like a sheet of paper in a raging bonfire. The demon was now caught in a fiery explosion as Thuban's flames spread across the barrier, clouding the island in a fiery barrier before it dissipated into nothing. Such was the same case with the demon, with the only thing left being its skull, which Thuban grabbed- as if it were a chew toy- then flew off back to his partner and his friends.

Maybe Adam would let him stick around in this world as a reward. As well as keep the skull.

* * *

All at once, everyone felt...different. As if a weight was taken off their very beings. Two individuals recognized the feeling...and grinned. "Bad news, Bassy!" Michael shouted at the cult leader, his wounds healing at a slightly faster rate as he pried himself from the wall. "You don't have a barrier keeping us on the island anymore!"

In his own area, Adam gave a malicious grin, shadows surrounding him as his arms became even more draconian. "Meaning you're all fucked now!" Adam then pulled numerous shadows into his palm and sent them into numerous cultists, knocking them unconscious.

Back with his own fight, Michael began to radiate a soft light, something **[Aura Radiance]** mimicked. Deciding to test something, he aimed the tip of the blade forward at Blood, who began to charge him, and-

***P-CHOW!***

The resulting laser shot from the blade sent Blood sliding back across the ground. "How d'ya like that, bitch?!" Michael whooped (though winced in pain from his wounds).

Stumbling back up, he growled in restrained anger. "As much as I'll enjoy murdering you and your friends," Blood retorted.

"And on that note." Michael raced forward, speeding himself up to take another swing at the bastard.

...Or he would have, if he didn't also catch the Multiverser at equally fast speeds.

...

...

...

"...You...drank some of Kid Flash's blood, didn't you?" I asked calmly.

Grinning, he said "And the kryptonian's as well."

"Oh, fuck me running."

"Oh no. I'm not as fucked up as you and your brothers," Blood sneered.

"The hell's that supposed to meeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaa **aaaaaaaAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNN?!"** Michael screamed as he was effortlessly picked up spun around, and then thrown far across the room. Several people actually stopped to watch the Multiverser fly from the sight.

While Adam silently wondered why Michael forgot he could stop himself midair. "Well, that's something," Adam commented, he and Architect finally getting the chains off Raven in a loud **CLINK.**

***SLO-MO: ACTIVATE***

Upon further reflection, however, he started calculating Michael's trajectory. Based on how quickly he was coming down, as well as how much he was flailing like an idiot (which he could write off as blood loss), his eyes widened as he briefly saw his destination.

Right.

Onto.

A wide-eyed Raven, who also realized what was about to happen.

***SLO-MO: DEACTIVATE***

**"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!"**

"Oh, shit-"

***THWUMP!***

And like that, the Multiverser landed right on top of the daughter of Trigon, the impact actually managing to create a sizable dust cloud. So impressive was the sight, that everyone- cultists, heroes, and demons alike- all stopped fighting to see the sight (as well as make sure Michael and/or Raven were all right).

Waving away the dust with a gust of wind, Adam coughed "You two okay- ...Oh my God..."

At his words, everything went quiet. Everyone was staring where his brother had landed.

Why?

...Probably because Michael landed right on top of Raven...accidentally locking lips with each other, and therefore completing the ritual Brother Blood was trying to accomplish.

So...yeah...

* * *

**Michael's POV:**

* * *

...

...

...

...

...

...Okay...I was **not** planning on this.

Granted, on the plus side, I'd successfully managed to prevent that ass hat Blood from marrying Raven...though I wasn't exactly planning on taking his place.

Slowly, carefully, I removed my lips from hers (subconsciously missing the feeling of their softness) and got up a bit. The two of us staring wide-eyed at each other, gold eyes meeting indigo, with both of us clearly struggling to comprehend what exactly just happened...and failing, if our stunned silence was any sort of indication.

...

...

...

...

...

"...You, uh...you okay, Raven?" I asked.

"Y-Yeah, I'm...I'm fine," she softly monotoned in the positive.

"O-Okay, good to hear. I was afraid I might've hurt you after...w-well...getting thrown on top of you."

"I-It's alright. You're actually a bit lighter than I thought."

"Uh, thanks...so, you wanna get up now?"

"I think that'd probably be a good idea."

"Yeah." After helping her up and brushing off the dust in a casual manner, I turned around...to face the crowd of **EVERYONE** staring in shock at us. "I...wish I could say I planned that," I began with a nervous laugh, trying to ease the tension a bit. "But...well...I didn't." Raven only blushed heavily, hiding her face underneath her hood.

"...This is...unexpected...but it is better than Blood unleashing Hell on Earth," Kaldur said.

"Well, at least you're not married to a psychopath," Wally said, giving a thumbs up to try and cheer up Raven. Though he did mutter to himself "Though considering he's related to Duncan, he may become one."

"Yeah, fanatical psychopath, or good guy. Worshiper of a demon, or protector of the innocent. Preeeeetty clear which is more obvious to choose," Robin said, followed by a 'Ditto' from Cyborg and Superboy.

"I am...unsure of human customs, but wouldn't marriage require the two parties to have been in a relationship?" Kory asked, getting a nod of confusion from Donna.

Scanty and Kneesocks face-palmed, muttering in sync "Oh, for the love of..."

Thuban tilted his head in confusion.

Architect simply turned to look at Adam, who looked to be on the verge of a mental breakdown. He then looked to Raven, raising his flaps up and down, which Raven could sense meant he was confused. And having an odd feeling of...deja vu?

Speaking of Adam...he simply stared at me with a disturbed expression, softly muttering "Oh my God, it's the same..."

Trigon...even though he was an echo, I could still feel the irritation coming off of him. Probably from his daughter getting married to someone like me through a ritual meant to bring about the end times.

As for Brother Blood himself...

If only words and numbers could accurately describe the cold, tranquil fury roiling off of him right now. "You...you..." he calmly said.

"Oh, is he gonna go Super Saiyan?" Adam asked.

"Adam, please, not the time-"

"Oh come on, the readers love these references," Adam casually stated.

"What?!" Michael asked.

"Yes!" came the cool response.

**"RRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!"**

"Supervillain roar, ladies and gentlemen! As common as superhero landings!" Adam stated as if he was commentating a baseball game.

His commentary, however, earned him the first beating at Blood's hands. Adam had forgotten, for a moment, that the man could gain another's power from consuming their blood. That left him wide open to a combination of Wally's speed and Conner's super strength, resulting in a rather mean right hook.

A flurry of furious punches befell the Aspect of Time, leading to myself, Robin and Architect to rush forward and pry him off. That only turned his fury onto us, displaying his acrobatic skills from Robin's blood. _'Adam, you mind helping out here?!'_ I asked over the link.

And so, linking me up to him, Adam- pissed over the surprise attack, did what he did best.

Mess with time.

He then began to rewind everything before the two of us, watching the assault Blood gave rewind, stopping right at the moment Blood was about to punch him. He started time up again at that point, catching Blood's fist as it was about to connect with his face, stunning the enraged cult leader. He then proceeded to have the cult leader hit himself with his punch, and threw him to Architect, Robin, and I.

 _"/Gang up!/_ " Architect said, leading to the three of us to wail and kick on the son of a bitch.

"Don't fuck with a time traveler and his crew, Blood! Or you'll be erased from existence!" Adam stated wildly.

 _ **'/That probably sounded better in your head,/'**_ Akima said over the link.

 _'Probably, but fuck it,'_ he thought back.

Having no more of it, Blood caught my fist, directing it right into Robin's gut. That gave him the window he needed to spin around the floor, sweeping us off our feet and into the air. Each of us landed with a **THUD** , though Robin reacted fast enough to get back up and split kick the bastard back.

This only made him angrier. **"That's it! So help me, I will see you all dead and dismembered by my-!"**

***SPLRCH!***

...

...

...

...

...

...Silence reigned across the entire room, as everyone stared at the leader of the Church of Blood. Frozen in place as soon as a wet, crushing sound filled the air. If one were to look down, they would see a patch of crimson staining the blue pants. Along with a trail of dark energy.

Trailing right back to Raven's outstretched hand and cold glare.

***RRRIIIPPP!***

And with a wave of her hand, Brother Blood's junk was ripped right off his pelvis, thrown to a far off corner of the room. As his own blood squirted out, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, foam building up in his mouth and pouring out. He unceremoniously fell onto his back, unconscious from the pain.

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"...What?" Raven asked irritably. "I said I would do it."

Everyone could only stare at the half-demon sorceress in quiet horror, trying to comprehend what they just witnessed. Though all the men- both on the Team (myself included) and those among the Church of Blood- unconsciously brought their hands to their crotches, in a vain attempt to protect their manhood from meeting a similar fate.

Trigon, however, chuckled at the display. _**"It seems you have more of me in you than you care to admit, my daughter."**_

"And on **that** note...we've all had a _long_ day," Adam began tiredly, exhaustion starting to show on his face, "with a lot to complain about. But I for one, am _sick!_ And **_tired! Of fighting!_ GIANTS!"**

***BLAM!***

With a raging cry, he fired a blast from _Wild Card_ at the echo. The Multiverse chose to flip the bird at us, though, as Trigon promptly swatted it into nothingness.

**"FUCK!"**

**_"Your toys cannot harm me!"_** Trigon said haughtily.

 _'Tell that to another version of you I fought,'_ Adam said in our link.

As we all dodged a series of lightning bolts, I thought back _'Any suggestions on how to get out of this?!'_

 _'Yeah. Avoid the lasers, get in close, nut shot him, and shoot him until he dies! Like the Cyberdemon,'_ Adam said, slicing a laser blast in half with _Muramasa_ , which I swear almost seemed to have happened in slow motion.

Fucking awesome.

Less awesome, however, was the fact that Trigon's arm came down and swatted away Adam, Kory, Superboy, Donna and Victor in one swoop. "Well, there go the heavy hitters!" I cried out. Turning to the others on the Team, I asked "Any suggestions?!"

"I think your people often perform something called a 'crotch shot'?" Kory suggested. Could work...though we weren't going to get close enough to find out.

As another blast of energy showed.

"Okay, any **more** suggestions?"

"Yeah, relieve this motherfucker of his arms!" Adam cried, having suddenly appeared right next to me.

 **"FUCK!"** I cried, punching him in the face. "Would you stop that- **HOLY SHIT!"** And like that, we narrowly evaded getting fried.

Hitting me with his own punch, Adam said "Get used to it!"

 _ **"INSECTS!"**_ Trigon roared, punching the ground hard enough to send us all flying back. **_"I will torture your souls for all eternity!"_**

 **"...*PFFFFT* AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"** Adam laughed, as if he heard that threat before. Which he probably has. However, that didn't stop the others from backing away from the likely insane man.

"So, while Adam has his mental breakdown," Donna said wearily, "we really need a plan here."

"I think we have some more pressing concerns at the moment," Megan pointed out, referring to the cultists that were slowly closing in on us. It was like they weren't even caring about what could happen to them, as long as the rest of us died.

"I don't think I can get us out of here," Raven said flinchingly. Her hands twitching with Negatium, she added "This stuff's messing with my powers."

"Well, that sounds great," Adam began, "but I realize that the barrier's been destroyed, meaning my powers aren't as restricted as they were. So I can probably teleport us out of here. But that would leave this red-skinned bitchface over here."

He was right. We could escape now, no sweat. But with Trigon running amok, a lot of people would die in his rage.

No escape. No way out.

Sighing, I said "You guys keep the cultists at bay," as I walked forward. "I've got four eyes."

**(Play "World's Greatest Battle Music Ever: Force of Will")**

And so, I began to walk, everything around me appearing as if it was in a Slow Mo Guys video.

Cultists running around trying to attack my friends. Architect deploying tech attacks, said attacks flying off his Omni-Tool. Adam swinging _Muramasa_ at cultists, sending them flying. Laser blasts and explosions sending the followers of the Church of Blood flying, a result of the Team.

Basically, I was having the **CRAZIEST** adrenaline rush in my life.

 _ **"You are either brave,"**_ Trigon rumbled, now reduced to nothing but shadows now, **_"or extremely foolish."_**

"Eh, I get a bit of both every now and then," I said, rolling my shoulders around to limber up.

Chuckling, Trigon floated forward. _**"I'm going to enjoy this."**_

With a chuckle of my own, I muttered "Seems as good a time as any to try out my new toy." With that said, I held out my left hand, saying "Akima. Initiate, Project Hephaestus."

On command, my matching left synthetic arm popped open, revealing etchings within the epidermis. The markings glowed briefly, followed by a mass of a black, sand-like substance to swarm out into my hand. The substance then began to solidify into a specific shape: a black version of **[Aura Radiance]**.

 _ **"Do you think adding another tooth pick is going to make a difference?"**_ Trigon asked with a mocking laugh.

"Even Goliath was killed with a small stone," I shot back, much to his irritation. "I like to call this little stone... **Hephaestus, the Eternally Shifting Forge.** _Hephaestus_ , for short."

A weapon made of artificially created Black Dust from Remnant, _Hephaestus_ was without a doubt the most versatile tool I'd ever created. Using my own thoughts, I was able to will the Dust to take any shape or form I thought of, solidify it, and use it in combat. The name was a bit pretentious, maybe. But it served the point of going big or going home.

Gazing at the mass of Black Dust floating about (and the sword copy in my hand), Adam muttered "Why am I not surprised you'd make another weapon?"

 _"We calculated the likeliness of another weapon to be 88.9%,"_ Architect said in support of Adam.

"Criticize my weapon later, fight now!" I yelled as Adam and I jumped back to avoid Trigon stomping us to death. The inter-dimensional demon followed up with his attack as he swung his massive fist at me, which I dodged by causing an explosion at the tip of _Hephaestus_. To my luck, it was enough to blow a bit off of the offending arm.

When Trigon's arm passed me enough for me to be near his elbow, I attacked. I drove Hephaestus into the large demon's arm before letting go of the blade and detonating the black weapon.

***BOOM!***

_**"Argh!"**_ Trigon cried angrily as he held his arm in pain. He definitely wasn't expecting my Dust weapon to be as combustible as gunpowder (a little trick I added as a bonus), so it did its damage well enough. Though because I was so close to the explosion, I had to make a shield of light using **[Aura Radiance]**.

I landed with an ungraceful ***thud*** , sliding across the floor and near the pool of boiling blood. I couldn't completely defend myself in time from the explosion, so I had a few burns here or there.

Once the shield had lowered, I got a good look at the damage. A massive wound was present on the demon's arm, bleeding crimson smoke in place of blood. Judging by that and the rage-filled growl that followed, it was safe to say that his arm wasn't going to be moving anytime soon. Though knowing my luck, that would change soon enough.

I had to go to one knee as my breathing became heavy.

"Damn! These wounds...making it...hard to move," I said between ragged breaths as _Hephaestus_ reformed in my left hand as another copy of my white Chinese Falchion.

 _ **"You insignificant whelps!"**_ Trigon roared in anger as he fired a beam from his eyes at us, destroying the terrain and kicking up dust.

A series of loud coughs followed. "Michael!" Robin yelled in worry.

"*cough**cough* I'm fine. What about the others?" I asked as I waved through the dust.

"We're fine, but it seems we got separated from you," Adam said as the dust started to clear out.

As the last of the dust settled, I realized that I was separated from the others by a large divide. Except for Adam the team looked like they could bare move. Hell, it was a miracle that they were still holding their own against the Church of Blood followers!

"Adam, stay there and protect everyone! Leave Trigon to me!" I yelled back as Trigon locked his gaze at me.

"Are you sure?" Adam asked in worry.

"Yeah," I said with a forced smile. "I can handle Big Red on my own.

Even with my bravado, he knew it'd be a challenge for me to win. Still, Adam always did have a lot of faith in me. "Alright. Go kick his baboon colored ass," Adam said with encouragement.

"You got it! *sigh*...Looks like I'm on my own," I replied, saying the last part to myself as I stood up and stared back at Trigon.

The demon's eyes narrowed in anger as he prepared for the next bout. _**"I'm going to enjoy destroying you, 'son in law',"**_ Trigon said mockingly.

"Bring it, bitch," I said with a smirk. In response, his eyes glowed brightly before firing another laser blast. Using what agility I could muster, I backflipped away as I dodged the laser.

***BLA-KOW!***

***BLA-KOW!***

***BLA-KOW!***

Trigon kept firing laser after laser at me, keeping me on the defensive. Each blast was meant to keep him out of my reach, though he would swipe at me with his good arm when I get within arm's reach of him. All of this running was really aggravating my wounds and making me lose my breath.

 _'His eye's glow for a bit before he fires the laser. That's when I'll attack,'_ I thought to myself after avoiding another laser blast. Rolling to a stop, I mentally had _Hephaestus_ change its form, changing from a black **[Aura Radiance]** to a long bow. Before I could do anything, though, I needed a distraction. _'Weiss-kun!'_

 _ **{Say the word!}**_ my dragon companion said.

Raising **[Aura Radiance]** above my head (and thankfully gaining the demon's attention), I cried out two words:

**"Solar Flare!"**

I said as I used Aura Radiance to make a flash bang, blinding Trigon.

 _ **"Aaah!"**_ Trigon cried in pain as he covered all four his peepers. _**"My eyes!"**_

While he was blinded I got to high ground so I don't miss my next shot. When I got as high as I could, I dismissed **[Aura Radiance]** and pulled back on _Hephaestus'_ bow sting. A black arrow forming as the sting was pulled, the arrowhead carved in a spiral pattern for maximum penetration.

Roaring in pain and fury, the father of Raven managed to steady himself. _**"Where are you, you insect?!"**_ he yelled in anger as his eyesight began to return.

 **"OVER HERE UGLY!** " I yelled to get his attention.

His head whipped toward me so fast, he would've gotten whiplash if he were in an organic body. _**"I WILL FEAST ON YOUR SOUL!"**_ Trigon yelled as his eyes began to glow brighter than before.

"Feast on this, four eyes," I said as I released the arrow. Just as Trigon was about to fire his laser, the black arrow soared through the air, spiraling right toward his face. The arrowhead nailed him right between the eyes, causing him to throw his head back in pain and forget about me.

Big mistake. "Bang!" I said.

***BOOOOOOOMMMM!***

In a flash of light and a clap of thunder, the entirety of the echo of Trigon was consumed in a ball of fire.

After the smoke cleared, Trigon was gone. Everyone was silent for a moment, processing what happened. And even after they did, they remained that way (though the rest of the Team were breathing soft sighs of relief, myself among them). Turning around, I gave them a big thumbs up before starting to limp over to them.

"So...did he win?" Conner asked.

_**"No."** _

***SCHTLUK!***

_**"He hasn't."** _

...Tonight was just not my night, if the dull pain in my abdomen and the horrified looks on the Team's faces were any indication. Looking down, I saw a crimson spike sticking through my gut, the color of blood. Just as quickly as it appeared, it pulled back, leaving me stumbling back in pain.

 _'What the...how did he...'_ I received my answer as I looked back. The blood-colored spike turned out to be the very source of its color: blood from the pool of it. Imagine my surprise when I discovered how it got formed into a spike and sent through me like a shishkebab.

Brother Blood himself, hand outstretched to control the blood.

Making this even more terrible for me were the four glowing red eyes on his face and dark red skin, indicating how he did that. Before I could react, Trigon used Blood's body to rush at inhuman speeds, kicking me square in the chest and sending me flying, skidding to a halt at the pool of boiling blood.

Blood that I added into with a hacking cough. Definitely cracked some ribs there, along with internal bleeding from bone punctures.

"W-Why can't it ever be simple?" I asked sarcastically as I stood up, a struggle of its own kind. Trigon was on me in an instant.

***CRACK!***

**"Agh!"**

_**"It is fate for Raven to bring me into this world,"**_ Trigon said as he kicked me down. He then processed to stomp his foot onto my stab wound. _**"And an insect like you can't stop that!"**_

Another stomp, shattering the ribcage in half.

 **"GGRRAAAAAAGGGHHHH!"** I screamed in unbearable pain.

 _ **"You. Will. Be. The. First. To. Die. By. My. Hands!"**_ Trigon said as he stomped on my wound with each word he uttered.

I cried in pain with every stomp of his foot.

 **"Michael!"** everyone cried in horror. Raven said as she started running towards us.

Raven reacted first, running toward her bastard father and I, fear on her face. Adam and Architect followed close after, anger in their eyes. "Leave him alone, you son of a bitch!" Wally yelled in anger as he and the others followed close behind Raven, charging at the possessed Brother Blood.

"Guys...don't," I said as blood trickled from my mouth.

 _ **"Back away, insects!"**_ Trigon said as he released a shock wave from his hand. The shock wave knocked everyone back, with the lone exception of Raven. A dark chuckle came from his inhuman voice. _**"You are indeed my child if you could withstand that,"**_ Trigon smirked.

"Leave him alone..." Raven said as she hung her head low.

 _ **"This insect will die today, my child,"**_ he said, foot on my chest as he pushed my head closer to the boiling blood, my skin starting to sear from the heat. _ **"And there is nothing you can do about it."**_

**"I said..."**

With one last push of his feet, my face was about to-

 _ **"LEAVE. HIM. ALONE!"**_ Raven roared, a surge of dark energy blasting Trigon back (and me away from the blood). The blast also knocked several others, including some of the Team.

Gathering my senses, I looked up to see a mass of dark energy surrounding Raven. Her skin turned from its regular pale color to bright red, as she lifted her head to reveal four glowing red eyes to match the anger radiating off of her. Raven's shadow spread and moved as if it were alive.

 ** _"You will not harm him, my friends, or this world. Ever!"_** Raven said as her shadow covered her so-called father.

A whirlwind of shadows tore through the bound demon. His grunts of irritation gave way to painful cries as the spectral visage of Trigon was ripped out, dropping Brother Blood's unconscious form to the ground as he returned to his original appearance. Trigon attempted to escape, but he was bound by the talons of an enormous raven of shadow.

 _ **"Leave,"**_ his daughter uttered. _**"And never show your face to me again!"**_

The wings closed around him, causing the enormous bird to glow brightly, until...

_**"RAAAAAAVVEEEEEEEENNNNN!"** _

***FLASH***

In a blinding flash, Trigon had disappeared. And along with him, so did my consciousness.

**(End "World's Greatest Battle Music Ever: Force of Will")**

* * *

**Third Person's POV:**

* * *

After what was basically banishing her father back into whatever prison he escaped, Raven felt...free. For the first time since coming back to life, she felt like she didn't have to look over her shoulder anymore.

She knew her father would continue his attempts to escape, but she sent him back, so she felt great right now.

Well, except for the fatigue that quickly overtook her. As her bright red skin returned to its original pale color, and her four red eyes became two indigo ones once again, a tiring sensation filled her entire being, causing her to collapse to her knees. At this, the rest of the Team went to her, while Architect pulled up his Omni-Tool and ran a scan.

"How is she?" Kaldur asked.

 _"/She is currently functional, though the Negatium in her systems is slowly deteriorating her body. We must get it out of her,/"_ Architect responded, bending down and picking up Raven, slinging her over his left shoulder, his mind already forming a plan for this place.

**(Play "Fatum Iustum Stultorum II")**

"Uh, I think we have another problem to deal with first," Megan pointed out.

 _"/Th-that problem being?/"_ Architect asked, his cracked optic turning to look at the White Martian.

Pointing behind them, she said "Them."

Slowly, Architect- and the rest of the Team that were able to- turned around, seeing numerous cultists beginning to surround them, a burning anger clear in their eyes at having their god defeated, their leader's dick ripped off, and the overall collapse of the Church of Blood.

At that, Architect simply turned to look at his teammates, saying one thing.

_"/Oh./"_

"Shit," Victor muttered.

"Okay, so we have a swarm of pissed off cultists, who just watched their boss become a eunuch, and a shade of their quote-unquote 'god' get obliterated," Wally pointed out. "Plus, we have a heavily bleeding teammate, and another that's suffering from poisoning, as the rest of us are starting to lose the fumes we're running on. I'm open to suggestions."

 _"/We can do better,/"_ Architect said, opening a small portal above his right hand. From the portal came a metal, cylindrical device, with different colored wires wrapping around he structure. On the side was an LED counter.

"...Architect...please tell me that isn't a bomb..."

His flaps moved a bit. _"/...We won't,/"_ he responded as he pressed a button and threw the device in the middle of the room.

**0:30**

**0:29**

**0:28**

Everyone's eyes widened at once. **"RUN!"** Adam yelled, turning tail with the others, running like bats outta hell.

And run, they did. Wally practically teleported out of the place with how fast he was running, knocking over several cultists along the way. The others, however, had to either fly or run out of the chamber (mainly due to helping the injured), fighting their way through the cultists that tried to either stop them or run out alongside them.

"Why did you have a **bomb** on you?!" Conner asked Architect as he slammed his fist into an approaching cultist that tried to attack Architect (who was holding Raven), sending said cultist into the wall.

 _"/In case we needed to create a diversion for an escape!/"_ he replied, kicking a cultist in the gonads. _"/This situation qualifies!/"_

"Less talking, more running!" Adam said, smacking a cultist with the handle of _Muramasa_.

Slamming into another cultist, Kory said "Please tell me you remember the way out of here!"

"Even if I didn't, I have a plan!" Adam said, suddenly stopping to pull up his wrist computer, scanning all around him.

"What are you doing?" Robin asked, as Adam's eyes glowed brighter.

"Something worthy of a movie," he replied as he threw his hands out, everything around them now having a yellow glow. Looking behind them, they saw the cultists running after them, but they were **VERY. SLOWLY.**

At that point, Robin and Kaldur realized where Michael got his chronokinetic powers from.

"Nearly there!" Adam called out, seeing the entrance getting closer and closer. **"Nearly there!"**

* * *

Back in the depths of the caverns, one unconscious Brother Blood was beginning to stir again. The sounds of his panicking followers woke him up, and he felt rather pissed. "When I get my hands on that bastard," he growled as he stumbled back up, stumbling as he held his bleeding genital area, "I am going to kill him-!"

His words died as he finally took notice of the large, cylindrical device before him.

**0:07**

**0:06**

**0:05**

As he looked at the timer, Sebastian Blood IX closed his eyes in resigned frustration, whispering five words:

**(End "Fatum Iustum Stultorum II")**

_"Oh, son of a bitch."_

**0:00**

* * *

**(Play "** **Cool Guys Don't Look At Explosions - The Lonely Island")**

***BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!***

A massive fireball blasted out of the tunnels, engulfing anything in its wake. Thankfully, everyone had managed to get out of the way just in time, finding cover behind some rocks for good measure. Meanwhile, Architect was simply walking casually, a Shield deployed above him from his Omni-Tool, protecting him and Raven from falling debris while playing a rather fitting song from _The Lonely Island._

For some reason, he even had a pair of shades on his 'face' as he walked. It looked like those 8-bit "Thug Life" shades, which painted a whole new level of 'WTF' in the Team's minds about the A.I.

Walking away from the flaming mouth of the cave and joining the others, Architect said _"/That was satisfying./"_

"...Do you and the Versers have a fetish for explosions?" Wally asked, worried that Architect would pull out another bomb.

 _"/We will neither confirm nor deny that accusation,/"_ he said as he placed Raven down. _"/However, we will say that it is always fun to watch something blow up like that./"_

"...How sentient **are** you?" Robin asked, officially worried that his teammate might have some weird hobbies.

_"/We were created with Adam's brainwaves./"_

"...Oh good God," Robin muttered, his eyes wide with shock and slight worry. A look a few of the others shared.

**(End "** **Cool Guys Don't Look At Explosions - The Lonely Island")**

Turning the music off, Architect flatly said _"/Don't hate./"_

"You're literally a mechanical version of Adam. That makes me worried," Wally said, remembering the previous outlandish threats Adam made.

"And on that note," Adam began, before sucker punching him hard enough to knock the speedster out. "And on **that** note, I'd say that we've all had a damn productive evening. However, I'd say we've had enough for tonight. Anyone else?"

"I'm good," said Nolan- I mean Conner. The others all had the same idea.

"Same," Scanty and Kneesocks agreed, with Thuban nodding a bit.

"I'd...really like that," Raven nodded.

"Yeah," Michael wearily said. "Me...toooo..."

***FWUMP***

After his words, Michael fell to the ground, blood loss starting to take over.

"Micheal?!" Adam cried out, rushing over along with everyone else. **"Michael! MICHAEL!"**

Noises dulled very quickly, leaving only echoes of words. He could feel his heartbeat slow down exponentially, and grew colder. A moment later, everything around Michael Verser faded to black...

_"Michael-ael-ael-ael-el-el-llllll..."_

And the noise stopped.

* * *

**Michael's POV:**

* * *

...Cold.

It's...cold here..but somehow, it's...pleasant.

Opening my eyes reluctantly, I was greeted with a vast, empty plain. It was dark, with the sky being pitch black. It felt...dead here.

Then a series of screens floated around. In each of them, I saw myself. Each me wore different clothes, and were each doing something different in their lives. I even saw a screen with how I was before I became a Multiverser, hanging out with my family.

Realization hit me like a ton of bricks. "Not again," I groaned.

"Nicely done, Michael. Though I give you a '2' for the landing back there."

Turning slightly to face the voice, I was greeted by a rather enchanting, curvy young woman. Skin as white as chalk, she had messy raven hair that went down to her shoulders. She wore black lipstick, matched by her pure black eyes. Her clothes were black as well, a black tanktop with a pair of black leather pants and gloves. Finishing the look was a silver ankh necklace hanging from her neck. She was leaning on a black umbrella, which seemed to fit her perfectly.

A friendly smile graced her lips. "Good to see you again, Michael."

I returned said smile as I got up. "Great to see you too, Death."

Pouting, she asked "When did you stop calling me 'Dee'?"

"Sorry, force of habit."

You read that right. This beauty was Death herself. To be specific, her full name is Death of The Endless, one of a group of entities in the DC Universe. And as of late, someone I've been in contact with multiple times, thanks to a series of near-death experiences. Looked like Zandia was another one to add to the list.

Dusting myself off, I asked "So, how bad was it this time?"

"Multiple stab wounds, severe internal bleeding, punctured heart, third-degree burns, and a collapsed lung," she listed off nonchalantly. "And as always, I'm amazed at how you can survive this stuff."

"Immortal," I reminded her.

Death puffed her cheeks in annoyance. "That's what I hate about you Multiversers. You take forever to die."

"Ouch." I clutched my currently non-beating heart. "So cold, Dee."

"And you're cruel," she playfully rebuked, "making a girl wait like this. I was beginning to think you stopped liking me."

I scoffed. "You honestly think I'd be stupid enough to risk ticking off Death like that?"

"No, not really," she shrugged.

Yeah, it was a rather surreal sight, to be sure. A freshly semi-dead person conversing with Death herself like an old friend. To be fair, though, we actually are pretty friendly with each other. A while back when I was in a world in the DC section of the Multiverse, I had a near death experience. That experience led me to meet Death (who was actually rather pleasant to be around...must be from being an aspect of Prime Death).

Of course, because I didn't want to die yet, I was able to come back from death. Though from then on, I had the irritating habit of having near-death experiences a lot when I'm in a DC Universe. As a result, I had a lot of run ins with Death, who- for a while- was equally irritated by my constantly dying and reviving. She eventually got over it, though, and we came to be good friends.

Which, of course, lead to me asking this (just to make sure): "What happened to Blood?"

Her face darkened a bit at the name. "He died in the explosion. Woke up right next to the bomb seconds before it went off. I'm actually on my way over to him right now, to make sure he goes where he belongs."

I nodded. "Do me a favor: try to make him kick and scream all the way," I requested.

"After what he tried to do? Absolutely."

"*sigh* And like that, another happy ending," I said, laying back into the cold earth. I stayed there for a few moments, before asking "Did you notice anything odd about my stab wounds?"

A solemn look appeared on her face. "Now that you mention it, yeah. It looks like there's this...residue in the wounds. An element, I think."

"Recognize what kind?" She shook her head, causing me to groan. "So it really is Negatium. Son of a bitch..." If Brother Blood had his hands on Negatium, then that can only mean one of two things. Either Lucifer supplied the bastard with the stuff (which, given what I know of him at the moment, is highly unlikely), or...

One of **those two** are in the world of _Young Justice_.

I sighed, tired beyond all measure. "I need to tell the others about this," I said out loud.

"That bad, huh?" she asked.

"Let's put it this way: it's made from **[Non-Existence]."**

If possible, I think that would've made her even more pale. "...Yeah, that's bad," she agreed. "There's more of that stuff, isn't there?"

"If either of who I think is behind it is here, then yes."

"Then here's some advice: be more careful," she said seriously. "I mean it, too. This stuff is enough to kill you, maybe even your friends. It's a miracle you're even alive right now!"

She...had a good point. How the hell was I even still breathing at that point?! Questions for later. Right now, I had to focus on getting back to the land of the living...though considering how messed up I was by the end of the fight, it could take a while before I healed enough to-

...I stood corrected. Using omnipresence, I could see that my body had...healed a lot faster than usual. Negatium was still in there, but it wasn't life threatening at the moment.

Shrugging it off, I decided to not look a gift horse in the mouth and roll with it. "Well, guess this is goodbye for now."

"See you 'round. And seriously, try not to be so reckless until our next meeting, okay?" she asked sweetly.

Feigning insult, I responded "This is **me** we're talking about, remember?"

"...Your point?"

"...Touche," I relented. As I willed myself to return to my body, the tug of life got stronger. "Well, I'll try to visit when I can, Dee."

Before the world got too bright, she said "I'm holding you to that. Now, close your eyes." I did so, waiting for something...and feeling her lips on my forehead. "Until we meet again," she said softly. "Also, sorry in advance for what comes next."

_'"What comes next?" What does she-'_

***SLAP!***

And the world faded to white...

* * *

**Scene Change...**

* * *

...and then everything darkened again as I saw...a ceiling? I mean, an actual, wooden ceiling. Upon further reflection, I groaned as I felt myself move about in a rather comfortable bed. A window to the side of the room I found myself in showed it was somewhere in the daytime. The whole scene would've been perfect...if it weren't for the fact that Death just slapped me back to life-

_***SLAP!*** _

**"WAKE!"**

_***SLAP!*** _

**"THE!"**

_***SLAP!*** _

**"FUCK!"**

_***SLAP!*** _

**"UP!"**

_***SLAP!*** _

**"DAMN!"**

_***SLAP!*** _

**"YOU!"**

_***SLAP!*** _

_***SLAP!*** _

_***SLAP!*** _

**"OOOOOOOOWWWWWW!"** I howled, clutching my stinging face. **"THE FUCK, ADAM?!"**

"You were taking too long, dumbass," my brother deadpanned, as though he didn't just both bitch slap **and** pimp slap my face multiple times. "Now get the fuck up, the others are worried sick about you."

"Wha...? What do you...?" I muttered, still a bit out of it from the near-death experience.

"Did you NOT HEAR ME?! THE TEAM IS FUCKING WORRIED ABOUT YOU, SO GET UP **AND LET THEM KNOW YOU'RE OKAY!"**

"OUCH! Jeez, alright! Don't have to shout so loud!" Walking across the wooden floor, I mumbled "Fuckin' jackass, shouting at a guy who nearly wound up dead..."

 _ **"Fuck you say?!"**_ Adam asked, his voice sounding demonic as his Dragon Arm appeared.

"Oh piss off, I nearly died. I can say what I want." With the final word said on the matter, I opened the door to find...a rather cozy-looking room. Turning around, I asked "Uh...are we still on Zandia?"

"No, we're in the magical land of 'WHAT DO YOU THINK.' Of course we're still in Zandia," he said sarcastically.

"As usual, your dry wit is most appreciated. So," I grunted as I sat in a nearby chair. "When did we get to a populated area, and why are we bunking in someone's house?"

"Because there were some out in the countryside who didn't agree with Church of Blood, but they didn't want to risk their wrath, so they kept to themselves. Thankfully, they decided to give us sanctuary for the time being," Adam said, showing his wrist computer to Michael while bringing up Michael's own computer, showing their clocks were not in sync. "I also pulled a time jump bringing us here, so you might want to change your timer."

I promptly did so. "What happened to the cultists?" I asked.

"...Gone. Either fled or killed by Architect's bomb. Either way, I'd say for the time being that the Church of Blood is finished," Adam said, with a hint of relief in his voice.

"I hear ya there," I nodded. "Especially with Dee making sure Blood goes to Hell."

"Yeah. Looks like some things proceed similar to others," Adam said, before looking at _Muramasa_. "Though I personally killed my world's version of Brother Blood after having a sword fight with him."

I chuckled at the thought. "Nice. You're gonna have to show me that if you recorded it." A pang of pain shot through my chest with the laughter. "Preferably after I get the Negatium in my chest out- shit!" I muttered in horror. "Raven! Adam, she touched the stuff when she healed me!"

"Don't worry, I checked on her after we got here. She's clean, drained, but clean," Adam said.

"Clean?! Adam, her hands were burning from touching it! Negatium is even more deadly to non-Multiversers! We- agh!" I grunted, falling as I tried to get up.

"Let me finish, **MIKEY,"** Adam said, holding out his hands as his gauntlets shifted away to show his hands were looking shriveled, with his veins blackened. "I absorbed the Negatium from her and now it's in me. So she's **CLEAN."**

...

...

...

"...You forget you saw me freak out like that."

"Bitch, you know that's never gonna happen," Adam chuckled, his face now starting to show black veins. "Seriously, we should probably get the Team ready to head home."

"Yeah, you're right. Though you may want to do something about your appearance first, just so the others don't freak out too much."

"I already planned that," Adam said as black scales started to appear on his face, hiding the black veins.

"Nice...you know, you're also gonna have to tell me later about how you can do that. After we get back to the cave," I added.

* * *

**Third Person's POV:**

* * *

Meanwhile, the rest of the Team were gathered outside the house, near a forest separating a small village from the now-destroyed Church of Blood. By a stroke of luck, they had managed to come across the village, who was more than thankful to let them spend the rest of the night recuperating, as thanks for getting rid of the cult. Turns out, demon-worshiping fanatics make for terrible neighbors.

During the time waiting for Michael to recover, Raven told them everything. Who she was. Who her father was. The terrible decision that led to the destruction of an entire realm. She was fully prepared to take their hatred.

Instead, she found acceptance.

Shocked at their reaction to the truth of her, Kaldur explained that she had more than proven that her lineage didn't define her, and that she was her own person. The fact that she risked her life to save her friends had more than proven her loyalty to them as well. And with a tearful smile, Raven realized she had found a place she could call a home.

That was hours ago, and they were still waiting for Michael to make a recovery. While most of the Team (sans Scanty, Kneesocks and Thuban, who went to make sure Trigon's followers were all gone now) were gathered by a large tree, with the young speedster wearing a trench with his pacing. "Ugh, how much of that junk is in him?!" Wally complained. "We've been here for half a day already!"

"Enough for you to shut up." Adam said, suddenly behind Wally.

 **"JESUS!"** he cried in shock (with the others jumping back a bit as well). "Would you stop doing that?! It's bad enough when Batman does it!"

"Batman is nothing compared to me. Hell, I could be here, then in the Batcave in a fraction of a second and screw around on the Batcomputer and be back here, and no one would ever notice," Adam said with pride.

"...Please," Robin calmly said. "For everyone's sake. Don't. Just...don't."

"No promises, Rob." The Boy Wonder could only groan, figuring that was the best he'd get from the Aspect of Time.

"I'm here too," Michael said as he walked into sight. "In case anyone's wondering."

"Yeah, but who gives a shit at this moment when KF probably shit himself after I scared him." Adam said.

Michael flipped him off. "Ass."

It only took a second for them to process the situation. "You're alive!" Kory, Victor and Conner shouted, the first of whom flew over and hugged the wounded Multiverser.

"Thank Hera!" Donna said with relief.

"I am glad to see you are well, my friend," Kaldur said with a smile.

Chuckling as Kory let him go, Michael said "Sorry to say it, guys, but my time's not over yet...hey, where's Raven?" he asked, looking around for his empathetic team mate.

"Meditating over there," Adam said, jerking his thumb behind him at another house.

"Thanks. I'll be right back, guys," he said as he headed over to the house. "I've gotta take care of something."

"Don't choke., Adam said.

"What?" Michael asked in confusion.

"Don't be like Schmidt in 21," he clarified.

"What-" Eyes widen- then narrow- as he understands the reference. "Go jump in a shark-infested ocean," he muttered as he walked off.

Adam's eyes darkened a bit. "Done that before. Want me to give you that same experience?" He received no answer, as Michael was already far away. The others, however...

"If I can say something, Adam?" Megan spoke up.

"Shoot."

"You...scare me a bit."

"I have that effect on people."

* * *

Meanwhile, Michael rounded the corner to find Raven. She was floating in meditation inside a shed, her cowl let down to allow her hair to come out. It seemed like she was rather caught up in it, to have not noticed him arrive. Coming closer, he jokingly asked "Penny for your thoughts?"

"I sensed you before you entered the room," she stated dryly.

"Good to know you weren't fretting too bad over little ole me," Michael quipped as he sat down on a stump. "So, how long was I out?"

"Well, with the Time Jump Adam made, he said he jumped past four hours," she said.

"Really?" he asked in honest shock. Cricking his neck, he added "Felt longer. Hell, my wounds look like they took several days to heal."

"Well, I guess Adam slapping you sped up your recovery in some twisted way," she dryly quipped.

...

...

...

"...Did...did you just make a **joke?"** Michael asked in shock.

"Did I?" She asked herself, her back turned to hide a devious smile.

The shocked, gaping visage of Michael Verser made her grin a bit wider. Then he laughed. "Oh, this is the start of a beautiful relationship!" A laughter that Raven joined in on.

The laughter soon stopped, however, as he realized another meaning to his words.

Then memories came flooding back. The stab wounds that Blood inflicted on him. The kiss he accidentally shared with Raven (making them- according to the ritual he interrupted- married). The fight against Trigon. Raven going apeshit on her father.

And in the bleariness of his eyes before unconsciousness, he remembered Raven, kneeling above him, using her magic to try and heal him...and touching something deep within his being.

Turning to face her, he said "You risked your life to save me. Again."

"...You're a teammate," she responded after a moment. "Teammates help each other."

"But you could've gotten killed touching that stuff," he countered. "If Adam weren't there to transfer it to himself, you **definitely** could've died after touching the stuff twice." Walking in front of her to face her, he continued "Can you promise me something?"

"Depends," she responded.

"If I end up in a state like that again...please don't do what you did. I don't want another innocent life on my hands," he said with seriousness...and sadness.

"You didn't kill anyone, Michael. Not here, and not during the Outbreak," Raven said.

A humorless chuckle escaped his lips. "Oh really? Tell that to the people who'd still be alive if I'd acted just a LITTLE faster. The people I watched breathe their last breath. Their blood's on MY hands, Rae." Lowering his head, he added "And I can never make up for it."

"You can make up for it," she said, her eyes narrowed. "By saving those who **can** be saved." Eyes narrowing a bit further, she added "Though I thought you'd be surprised that I know about the Outbreak, since I just discovered that you, Duncan, and Adam lied to us about your past," her voice now cold as ice.

Looking up, he asked "What do you-"

***Insert Tire Screech SFX***

...

...

...

"...How...?" he asked, shocked beyond all measure.

"When I tried to heal you, I...ended up accessing your memories as well. I've seen your life before becoming a 'Multiverser'," she said, trying the word on her tongue, "along with what came after. I know about your knowledge of Adam's vigilantism after the Outbreak. I know **EVERYTHING** , Michael," Raven finished.

"..."

"..."

"...In...all fairness...I **was** planning on telling the rest of the Team," he began.

"When?" Rachel asked sarcastically, already knowing the answer.

"...Once I...worked up the courage," he replied.

"Which knowing you now, would take years."

"Hey, that is not true!" Michael defended. "Okay, that **one** world aside due to the fact I needed more time to prepare, the longest I've gone without telling someone is one year!"

"Tula," she stated dryly.

"Like I said, one year and a half!" he amended without missing a beat, covering how he nearly forgot to take all who knew the secret from this world into account.

"Regardless, you **LIED. TO US ALL,"** Raven stated with calm fury in her voice.

"I-It's not like we WANTED to!" he defended, backing away from her energy. "Duncan set up rules for the rest of us to follow. One of those being we couldn't just out and tell others who- or what- we really are. I mean, how would you react after finding out your world is seen by others through the medium of a comic book?"

"The fact that you **knew** my father would come is bad enough! And you all know other world shaking events, and don't bother to tell anyone? How does that help your mission to 'protect the Multiverse'?!" Raven asked sharply.

"You mean besides the fact that I didn't think your dad or his flunkies would try anything on our first mission? **IT'S BECAUSE MY MASTER IS A BASTARD!"** he cried in frustration.

 **"That I can clearly see!"** Raven yelled, her eyes flashing black as she gritted her teeth.

***BOOM!***

_**"The hell?!"**_ Michael and Raven cried in shock, finding the shack blown to bits.

 **"DAFUQ IS GOING ON WITH YOU TWO?!"** Adam's voice echoed.

"N-Nothing!" Michael called back. "Just, uh...clearing the air on something!"

**"CLEARING THE AIR DOES NOT REQUIRE EXPLOSIONS! YOU'RE NOT MICHAEL BAY!"**

_**"DROP IT, VERSER! OR I'LL DO WORSE TO YOU THAN I DID TO BLOOD!"**_ Raven roared demonically.

 **"I'VE HEARD THAT THREAT BEFORE, ROTH, AND I SHALL SAY THE SAME THING I ONCE SAID TO THAT PERSON: I REALLY, REALLY, DO NOT GIVE A FLYING _FUCK_ RIGHT NOW!"** he roared back. "Besides, unlike Blood, I have a healing factor, so it'd be pointless."

 _'Adam, she knows,'_ I quickly said to him telepathically.

 _'Yeah, had the same shit happen with mine. She gave me the same threat. So yeah, really don't care. Just hurry up so we can go home,'_ Adam responded calmly.

"...Raven," he began with a sigh. "I swear, I never wanted to hurt you like this. And I **definitely** didn't want you finding out this way. If I had the choice, I'd have told you all the whole truth the moment I had the chance." Hanging his head, he added "Though...I'd understand if you don't want anything more to do with me after we get back..."

"...I believe you when you say you didn't want to hurt me. But that doesn't mean I'm just going to brush this under the rug and pretend nothing happened." Raven said, her eyes still holding anger in them, though they were softer now.

"I-I understand," he nodded. "Still...what happens now?"

"Simple. We head home." She said dryly, walking past me, not turning back.

Michael watched her retreat, a cold feeling in his chest (that wasn't the Negatium) as he sighed morosely. "Great. Guess this is another addition to the 'Michael Fucked Up' list..."

* * *

As Raven approached the others, Adam came up and gently pulled her to the side. "What do you want?" she asked irritably.

"Michael told me you know. So I see it necessary to tell you the true reason we never told you guys about our...more-than-human status. Our personal reason." Adam said, the look in his eyes being dead serious.

"What more reason could there be than your 'boss' being an incorporeal bastard?" she asked with venom.

"...Because we were afraid. Afraid of how you all would react. I mean, how else could we think of that situation to turn out other than crazy? 'Oh hi, guys, I'm a demigod who could destroy a planet with the snap of my fingers! But that's cool, I've got super powers like you, so let's go fuck shit up!'" Adam said sarcastically, before his voice turned somber. "Even with all our power, all the shit we've done...we can still lose. Battles, arguments, people...we can lose them all in the blink of an eye. In the end, Michael and I are still guys capable of loss like everyone else. Peace is not a thing to us. So yeah, you wanna know the reason we didn't tell you? It's because we didn't want to lose what friendships we could have. Cause in the end, we Multiversers can never truly know peace," he said, backing away. "Be angry at us if you want, but know we did it because we didn't want to lose any of you to the chaos that is our true lives."

Raven had expected Adam to say any number of things. **That,** however, was enough to stun her silent. As well as bring up...other emotions. Guilt chief among them. "...And I probably just cost him a friend with me..." she said solemnly.

"If that was the case," Scanty said as she, Kneesocks and Thuban came from the forest, "then you would've done much worse than give Michael the cold shoulder."

"Besides, Mikey isn't the type to hold grudges against friends. So you could still make it up to him," Adam pointed out. "We Multiversers have lied to a lot of people, leading to us being called faceless backstabbing scum who can't be trusted. But I like to think of the words of a great movie I know as an aspiration to what we are: It's not who we are underneath...but what we **do** that defines us," Adam said, looking at Raven, his yellow eyes glowing brightly, as if the sun itself had fused with his eyes.

It was as if a jolt of light ran deep into her soul at that, giving her strength. Yet also making her feel worse somehow...as well as curious. "...What movie did you get that from?" she asked.

"A film based on Batman," was her reply **(A/N: That was a great quote from the film, and you all know it).**

The empath only gave an awkward, deadpanned stare at her friend, before sighing downheartedly. "How do I just make up what I said to him?" she asked.

"Simple. Talk to him."

As if on cue, Michael came trudging up to the small group, a shamed look in his eye. "Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. Actually, Raven had something she wanted to say," Adam said, pushing her over to his brother after deciding to get this over with instead of let it drag out.

"Indeed," Kneesocks nodded while she and Scanty held back amused laughter. "She said it was important."

Glaring at the three (and a chuckling Thuban), Raven silently swore to get back at them later. However, at the moment...

"Raven?" Michael was nervous about what she was going to say, fearing that she might've been experiencing a delayed reaction to her rage at betrayal.

What she said, however, blew that thought away.

"...I forgive you." That was all she said, yet it conveyed all that she was feeling. With that one sentence, she walked back toward the others...but this time, she looked back and smiled softly at the two Multiversers.

Speaking of whom...

"...What...did you say to her?" Michael asked, now **EXTREMELY** stunned.

"I simply told her the truth," Adam said.

 _"/Now ca-ca-can we **please** go back to the cave?!/"_ a still damaged Architect asked, revealed to have been next to them through the entire conversation. _"/We're frying our circuits out he-he-he-here!/"_

"Oh...we should probably do that," the Aspect of Time realized, hopping onto Thuban. "Get ready, big guy."

Michael then created a duplicate to help Architect back to the others (as well as make a portal to get back to Santa Prisca), while the original jumped onto Thuban alongside the Daemon sisters. "What?" he asked. "Always wanted to ride on a kick-ass dragon!"

"Okay. Let's go, big guy!" Adam said, as the Draconis inhabitant spread his wings and took off into the skies.

* * *

**Mount Justice, July 23, 15:42 EDT**

* * *

"Okay, where the hell are they?!"

That was the question on everyone's minds as Batman, Red Tornado, Tula and Duncan waited impatiently at the docking bay for the others to arrive back. After having lost trace of them on Santa Prisca, the League began looking everywhere for their wayward wards, with no luck whatsoever. Not even Batman and Duncan together could find them.

Until sometime last night, when Duncan said he found them...on Zandia.

To their credit, the League elected to wait until the Team returned, so as to explain how and why the ended up from South America to Europe. Though as an irritated Tula just demonstrated with her question/shout, their patience was running thin.

"I swear, if they don't show up in the next five minutes, someone's gonna get backhanded through a wall," Duncan muttered irritably.

 _"/I do not see how that is necessary,/"_ Red Tornado said.

"It'll make me feel a hell of a lot better-"

 _["Major Tom to ground control, come in ground control,"]_ came the voice of Adam Verser.

...With a sigh of irritation, a holographic screen appeared in front of them. "Ground control responding. What the hell have you people been doing?" Duncan asked.

 _["We'll fill you in once we land,"]_ Robin cut in. _["For now, mind opening up and letting us in? Megan and her ship are running on steam at this point."]_

"Okay, but you **better** explain everything," Batman said, as the bay doors opened.

Soon enough, Megan's bio-ship flew in, landing on the landing pad smoothly. The entrance to the ship opened up, allowing the Team to walk out looking as if they were put through the wringer. Wally even bent down and kissed the ground, saying "I'm never leaving this cave again."

"Part of this team, Kid. You got no choice in the matter," Duncan reminded.

"Fuck you, I'm staying here until further notice."

"I'm sorry. What were you gonna take back?" Duncan asked, his eyes now glowing red.

"What he meant to say," Robin said intervening for his friend, "is that we had to take a little detour. **"**

 _"/What could've possibly happened to have made you so late?/"_ Red Tornado asked.

Before an answer could be given, it was then that Duncan noticed something missing. Or rather, **someone.** "Also, where's Adam and Michael?" he asked, looking around for his fellow Multiversers.

That was the moment the speakers flared to life. _**["WE'RE COMING IN HOT! OPEN THE FUCKING BAY DOORS, DUNCAN!"]**_ came the loud voice of Adam from outside the speakers. Duncan stood there for a second, rubbing his ears before doing as Adam had asked. The doors slowly opening up again as the sound of wings flapping could be heard, getting louder and louder until...

...Adam and Thuban flew into the room, Thuban roaring with joy at finally finishing his flight. Riding alongside Adam were Scanty, Kneesocks and Michael, who leaped off as Thuban came in for a landing. Thuban stared at the present League members and the Team, his reptilian eyes boring into their souls, while the two demon sisters dusted themselves off.

Silence reigned across the room...

...

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...

...

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...

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"...Explaination. **NOW,"** Batman ordered.

* * *

**Michael's POV:**

* * *

So we did. From the bombing of the factory and the fight against Kobra, to being shanghaied by the Church of Blood (and the barrier keeping us in/hiding us from others), to all but ending said cult, and my accidentally getting 'married' to Raven. Of course, the rest of the Team graciously left out the part were Adam and I were revealed to be more than human (which led them to realize the same was the case with Duncan), knowing that we'd reveal the whole truth when we were comfortable with it. Also, after a nice talk back on Zandia with the others, Raven was...well, pleasantly surprised to discover the Team was accepting of her, despite her heritage.

A good sign toward a possibly good future. Something to deal with later.

Right now, though, we had to deal with an annoyed Duncan and Batman.

"...You guys...fucked up... **big time!"** Duncan growled in annoyance, making everyone flinch. "I am **personally** going to kick all twelve of your asses **so hard** , that it'll make Jesus' crucifixion look like a goddamn **volleyball game** **in comparison!"**

 _"Ahem,"_ Scanty and Kneesocks coughed as Thuban puffed up a bit at that, reminding Duncan and the others that the massive dragon and sexy demons were still present.

"...Okay, I guess it's fifteen...but you three didn't fuck anything up, so you're good." The dragon hummed, pleased with himself. Same went for the two sisters. "And the rest of you...you all did a pretty good job."

Our response? A big _**"Huh?"**_

"To tell you the truth, you handled the first half of the mission well, despite **SOMEONE** fucking up," he added while glaring at me, "but you all adapted to the second half extremely well. How you adjust to the unforeseen determines success. And you all definitely succeeded," he finished with a smile.

The rest of us smiled at each other in turn.

"You'll all still be getting individual reports on your flaws during the mission, of course," Batman added with a ghost of a smile. "How you learn from your mistakes also determine future success."

_'...Even in victory, I feel a bit defeated.'_

{Life's a bitch, Michael,} Sterling said. {Life's a bitch.}

"And one last thing: Wally." The young speedster tensed a bit at seeing Duncan's smile. "You disobeyed orders and got your teammates exposed to both Bane's forces and Kobra. Soooo... _guess what that means~?"_

And like that, Michael's spirits were lifted as he saw how fast Wally could turn white as a sheet of paper in fear.

"Wally," Adam said.

"Yeah?" the speedster squeaked out.

"Let me know how many bones you break during the training. Also, Duncan, Architect took some bad hits during the mission, can I patch him up before it begins?"

"Sure, but be back in thirty minutes," Duncan affirmed, receiving a nod from Adam.

"Alright." He helped Architect start to move, but stopped next to Duncan, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I also discovered a...problem with Architect pertaining to us," he whispered, nodding his head to a spot on Architect's chest. A spot Duncan noticed containing the dissolved remains of a familiar element.

His gaze hardened at the sight. "Alright, once you patch him up, and training is done, I need you and Architect to let me know what happened. If this is the work of who I think it is...we may have a problem."

"Got it."

* * *

"So, I don't know about the rest of you," Conner began, "but I think we've earned some more downtime."

"Agreed," was my heartfelt reply.

"Yeah, I'm up for some straight relaxation," Wally said, trying to hide his fear of training with Duncan.

"You realize you're going to have to face the music eventually, right?" Donna inquired.

"Don't remind me."

"And don't think we're letting you weasel out of it," Scanty snapped.

"Duncan let us know that your remedial training begins at 7 A.M.," Kneesocks continued, "so Hell help you if you show up late!"

Thuban simply huffed, resulting in Adam patting his leg. "He says get there on time, or else," Adam said with a smile.

I couldn't help but chuckle as Wally slumped in defeat. It was times like this that I enjoyed having girlfriends who were such sticklers for the rules like Scanty and Kneesocks. Only times I don't were when they did it to me.

Then, Thuban huffed again as he lumbered to the area near the waterfall, and slouched down, his eyes closing as visible air now came out of his nose.

"Get some rest, big guy. You sure as Hell earned it," Victor said, watching the dragon Adam called a partner sleep with the demon skull near him.

"So, on that note...what's say we all hit the hay and don't wake up until sometime past twelve? Sans Wally, that is," I suggested. The young speedster flipped me off as a result.

"Yeah," everyone said.

***CLANG***

**"GODDAMN IT, ARCHITECT! I JUST SHUT OFF YOUR OPTIC, IT'S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD!"**

_"/F-F-F-Fix...us.../"_

**"THEN SHUT UP AND LET ME WORK!"**

"And on that note, I think I'm gonna go sleep," Victor said as he left the room, letting Adam get to work on Architect. "See you guys later?"

"Later Robocop." Adam said.

"Asshole."

"I meant it as a compliment, jackass. Want me to take it back?"

"Want me to not point out I said that in good nature?"

"Touche."

Chuckling alongside the rest of us, Robin said "Guess it's official: we're a team," before walking off to a spare room. Most of the others followed suit.

"Yep!" Adam said, smacking a dent on Architect's body back into place. "All we need now..." He smacked another dent. "...Is a name."

Soon, all who remained was Raven and I, staring at the infirmary window as Adam was busy repairing Architect. His optic was currently off, but he was still active as Adam kept asking him to move his other parts around so he can fix them. As I stopped to look at the Multiversal A.I., I saw him raise his left hand, clench it into a fist, and gave a thumbs up.

Pointed at Raven.

At that, she gave a sad smile and have her own thumbs up, as Adam asked Architect to put his hand down.

"You okay?" I asked my friend (not thinking of her as my wife, just feels weird at the moment).

"...You really want to know?" she asked.

"Rae, you're my friend. I'm your friend. Friends get concerned about one another. It's okay, you can talk to me," I said.

Her face became more downtrodden as I finished. "...I'm not okay, Michael. How else can I be after today? My father is still looking for me. A cult dedicated to him tried to bring him back, and it almost got the whole team killed. And Architect suffered from the cultist's hatred of anything that isn't related to Trigon. Because of me." She looked down at the floor, expecting me to leave her alone. "No matter what I do, no matter where I hide, I'll never be anything but the daughter of Trigon," she said, bitter at herself.

She probably expected me to treat like a demon and lynch her or something.

Suffice it to say, though, she **wasn't** expecting me to gently hold her head and kiss her on the forehead.

Pulling away after breaking the forehead kiss, I looked her right in her stunned face and smiled. "I don't care if you're the daughter of a demon, or who said demon is. You're **you.** You're your own person. To me...you'll always be Rachel Roth. And nothing's going to change that."

She stared in shock for a brief moment, before she looked down with a small smile and a...blush?

"Thanks, Michael. I appreciate your concern, but I need time to myself," she said, walking away, but not before looking at Architect, who stared right back.

It was like the two were having a deep conversation solely with their eyes. Then, he nodded his head. She nodded hers in response, before leaving the room.

_'Huh, looks like a deep friendship is blooming between the Multiversal A.I. and the daughter of Trigon.'_

_**{Sounds like a buddy cop movie,}**_ Weiss-kun said.

Suddenly, my train of thought ended as my vision went blurry, due to the sensation I felt of someone grabbing me. The next thing I knew, I was in a different room (with Duncan in the room as well, surprised by our sudden appearance). I looked to see it was Adam who had grabbed me, with a...very freaked out look on his face.

 **"THE EXACT SAME RESULTS!"** he shouted. **"YOUR MISSION ON ZANDIA GOT THE _EXACT! SAME! RESULTS_ AS MINE! JUST LIKE YOU FINDING RAVEN, CYBORG, AND STARFIRE AT _YOUR_ VERSION OF CADMUS! THIS _CANNOT_ BE A COINCIDENCE! BY GOD, THIS IS ALL KINDS OF FUCKED UP!" ** Adam shouted, before teleporting away.

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"...What the fuck just happened?" I shakily asked Duncan.

"No idea," he shrugged. "On another note: we're getting rid of the Negatium in your body first thing tomorrow."

Nodding, I replied "That...that sounds like a good idea."

"Also...you have any idea how you managed to come back from near death?" he cautiously asked, his gaze going toward my chest area, as if looking over the wounds...and...something else?

"Not a clue," I responded. "Sorry."

A thoughtful look filled his face...before he waved it off. "Whatever. Just get some rest. You and the others definitely earned it."

"Still making Wally take remedial training?"

"Yep."

"...Well, at least we'll have some entertainment," I shrugged, limping toward my room.

Unaware of the gift Duncan once placed within me beginning to stir within my body. And how it would play into a battle soon to come.

* * *

**Third Person's POV:**

* * *

**Unknown Location, Unknown Time...**

* * *

"By the time I got there, the entire factory was in ruins," said an intimidating man with blonde hair. He wore a gray hockey mask, a sleeveless muscle shirt, and metal plates for armor on his left arm. Lawrence Crock, a.k.a. Sportsmaster, continued "I was able to recover a single ampule of Kobra's product, but that's it," holding up the purple liquid as proof.

 **["It matters not,"]** Brain waved off. **["We can reverse-engineer the formula from this. However, I am most concerned about these young heroes. First Cadmus; then Mister Twister; and now, this."]**

 **["Not only that, but they managed to all but wipe out the Church of Blood,"]** Klarion threw in. **["Seems these kids are more of a threat then we originally thought, if they could take Sebastian down."]**

 **["Once is coincidence. Twice is happenstance. But three times...that's enemy action,"]** Savage said. **["And enemies of the Light...must be eliminated."]**

"How do you want to follow up?" Sportsmaster inquired.

 **["We'll get in touch with our most recent acquaintance,"]** Savage answered. **["See if he has anything that can allow us to counteract these children. In the meantime...set up a contract with the Ravagers. Then follow up with a separate appointment with Mr. Wilson."]**

Behind his mask, Sportsmaster couldn't help but grin in slight sympathy. Those kids had no idea what they just brought on themselves.

* * *

**Elsewhere...**

* * *

The void of a room that was as black as ever, save for the various lamps and lightbulbs providing illumination to its current inhabitants. One of whom was currently banging his metal head against a desk.

***KONK***

***KONK***

***KONK***

"...You know, if I could feel sensations, I'd be in a bit of pain right now," the towering metal man groaned as he hit his head against the desk again. "And I'd welcome it." Taller than an average human male- much taller- stood a robotic being. Humanoid in appearance with a silver-like metal serving as the main material, it had curved antennae, prominent shoulders, and red internal lighting. It's red, synthetic eyes held curiosity, arrogance, charisma...and insanity.

The mechanical man was instantly recognizable to many who would see him. After all, when one tries to end all life on Earth by dropping a city from orbit, you tend to become recognized.

"What are you so hung up about?" Ruvik asked curiously.

Turning to face him, Ultron replied "I created a barrier of Negatium meant to trap Multiversers. Impossible to escape unless deactivated... _and then a fucking dragon slams a demon into it and breaks it,"_ he deadpanned.

"...I can see how that would be annoying," he relented.

 **"You're lucky that it was just a prototype,"** the man in black said as he stepped out of the shadows. **"And that Duncan Verser wasn't there to see it firsthand."**

"On that, we can all agree is a blessing," the homicidal A.I. agreed. Plates shifting into a scowl, he added "Though considering Adam was there, it would still be a problem. Plus there's this." He activated a projection system, displaying the fight as captured by his hidden cameras. At one part, he paused at Michael fighting Brother Blood.

And the former was surrounded by a dim, yet beautiful golden aura.

"Adam's little dragon shift and summon was impressive, as was the two brothers' other powers and weapons making a dramatic debut...but **this** is something I've never seen before." Turning to face his partner, Ultron asked "Any ideas on what it could be?"

 **"...Verser's making Sacred Gears now, it seems. That sword has the tell-tale sign of Draconic nature, and the jewel... I'd have to say it's the White Dragon King Weisslogia. Which means he's likely got Skiadrum, Igneel, Metalicana, and Grandeeny on hand, too. Probably Atlas Flame as well,"** he summarized. **" _Fairy Tail_ dragons, huh? Two can play at that game."**

"Is this going to be a problem for whatever you have planned?" Ruvik inquired.

A moment of contemplation came before his answer. **"...No. Not at all."**

"If you say so," Ultron said. "In other news," he continued, bringing up a few holographic screens, "our Remnant-based work is showing progress. Project Lerna's coming along right on schedule, and Lucifer's been sent to Remnant to assist in the next stage of miss Fall's plan. The main version of the Negatium barrier is also showing signs of progression, and should be ready to use in about 3-5 months time.

"Also, concerning your...'acquaintance'," Ultron said, his face showing distaste at the use of the word, "our agents have recently spotted him. We're keeping far enough away, but there are signs he'll be coming to this universe. Soon."

 **"He's a tool,"** the masked man deadpanned. **"Both figuratively and literally. I don't see him as an equal, or even a person. His own madness and stupidity will lead to his own downfall. We'll use him for all he's worth till then."**

"No, not THAT idiot. He's still under surveillance at one of our facilities, under intensive care. I'm talking about the OTHER acquaintance you had some run-ins with in the past."

Another moment of contemplation followed. **"Have them keep their distance,"** he ordered, **"but make sure they don't lose him. The last thing I need is a rogue element messing things up for us."** Without another word, he blended back into the shadows as easily as he came in.

"...Who's this 'acquaintance'?" Ruvik asked.

"Story for another time," Ultron answered. "Right now, I need you to focus." Pulling up holographic blueprints, he continued "We have a lot to prepare for...when we face the Justice League..."

* * *

**(Play "Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater Soundtrack: Snake Eater")**

**...**

**YOUNG MULTIVERSER**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**Written by:**

**Hero of the Multiverse**

**...**

**Co-Written by:**

**VindictiveDunc**

**BioshockerN7**

**...**

**Starring:**

**Michael Verser/Atlas**

**...**

**Conner Kent/Superboy**

**...**

**Dick Grayson/Robin**

**...**

**Wally West/Kid Flash**

**...**

**Kaldur'ahm/Aqualad**

**...**

**Rachel Roth/Raven**

**...**

**Koriand'r/Starfire**

**...**

**Victor Stone/Cyborg**

**...**

**Donna Troy/Wonder Girl**

**...**

**Megan Morse/Miss Martian**

**...**

**Adam Verser/Timeshifter**

**...**

**Co-Starring:**

**Akima/Lambda**

**Masamune**

**Weisslogia**

**Architect**

**...**

**Duncan Verser/Oberon**

**Clark Kent/Superman**

**Bruce Wayne/Batman**

**Diana Prince/Wonder Woman**

**Karen Starr/Power Girl**

**...**

**John Smith/Red Tornado**

**Giovanni Zatara/Zatara**

**Dinah Lance/Black Canary**

**Barry Allen/The Flash**

**Hal Jordan/Green Lantern**

**John Stewart/Green Lantern**

**Billy Batson/Captain Marvel**

**Oliver Queen/Green Arrow**

**Hawkman**

**Hawkwoman**

**...**

**Bane**

**Baran Flinders/Mammoth**

**...**

**Sebastian Blood IX/Brother Blood**

**Trigon**

**...**

**Lawrence Crock/Sportsmaster**

**Vandal Savage/L-1**

**Klarion/L-5**

**The Brain/L-6**

**...**

**The "Man in Black"**

**Ultron**

**Ruvik**

**...**

**Special Guest Appearances:**

**Thuban**

**Scanty Daemon**

**Kneesocks Daemon**

**Death ( _DC Comics_ )**

**...**

**(End "** **Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater Soundtrack: Snake Eater** **")**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And just like that, we come to the end of the first mission. As well as the LONGEST STORY ARC I HAVE WRITTEN TO DATE! WOOHOO!
> 
> When I first started writing this chapter (as well as the previous two chapters), I knew how things would play out. However, once BioshockerN7 and I watched TeamFourStar's Final Fantasy VII: Machinabridged, we both knew we had to make references to that awesome and hilarious series. Which, of course, led to making references to the first few episodes in this chapter. I also couldn't help but make references to Young Justice Abridged, made by DCAbridgedUniverse. They team responsible for that masterpiece has done such a great job seamlessly blending a number of DC animated movies and Young Justice into one, big, connected universe. Plus, the stuff in there is so awesome, I just HAD to play homage to them!
> 
> And on that note, I want to point out that neither BioshockerN7 and I own neither of those abridged series- or either Young Justice or Final Fantasy VII in general- and they belong to their rightful, expect both kinds of references to continue to be made in our stories, as well as references to other TeamFourStar works (which we also don't own). They're freaking hilarious.
> 
> On another note: the story is already diverging quite a bit from canon, if the introduction of Starfire, Raven and Cyborg weren't enough of a clue. Though to cover the other events of this chapter: Brother Blood and the Church of Blood are gone (who knows for how long), Raven has discovered the truth about the Multiversers, the Light are sending some familiar foes from DC lore to go against the Team, and the "Man in Black" is preparing to make some serious moves against the Multiversers and their allies. Oh, what insanity will be wrought now?
> 
> Stay tuned to find out. Until then, please leave a review/comment. BUT NO FLAMES, as those will be ignored and/or reported!
> 
> Hero of the Multiverse, over and out.


End file.
